


Unexpected Turns - Snippets

by Mary_dutch



Series: Unexpected Turns - The Owen Grady / You series [2]
Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: F/M, Random Snippets, Sort of like deleted scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-06 14:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4225632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mary_dutch/pseuds/Mary_dutch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A number of snippets focusing on the characters from Unexpected Turns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The secret is out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These characters won't leave me alone. 
> 
> Damn that movie and the character of Owen Grady for entertaining my mind constantly. :P 
> 
> The last chapter of 'Unexpected Turns' has been uploaded, but I have a lot more scenes on paper and in my head that didn't make it to the story. So I thought I'd use this to get them out there. 
> 
> This is where you, my lovely readers, come in:
> 
> I want to give you the opportunity to make your **requests**.  
>  If there's anything you missed in the original story, if you think of something you would like to be in there, or if you have a random idea that you would like me to try out, just give me a shout via the comment box and I'll see what I can do. I'd love to be triggered by your ideas. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have not yet read the original story, you can find it here: 
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/4206993/chapters/9506724
> 
>  
> 
> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

You groan when a knock on the door wakes you up from a peaceful slumber. 

Owen slightly shifts. His movements make you realize you are lying on top of him – naked – after falling asleep a few hours before, a tangled heap of limbs. 

“What the hell?” He mutters as the person at the other end of the door knocks insistently again. 

You finally raise your head and look at him. A lazy smirk adorns his face and you feel your cheeks flush as events from the previous night flash behind your eyes. 

Someone knocks on the door a third time. 

You start to move and groan again when you realize how sore your body is from last night’s activities. Owen really had been ALL over you. You do not get the chance to leave the bed; Owen pulls you back against this body, his arm wrapped around you like a steel band. He buries his face in your neck, his lips move over your skin greedily. 

You moan softly, the familiar feeling of his lips on you instantly causing a turmoil of feelings. 

The person behind the door does not let up. Another knock follows. 

“I know you’re awake.” It is Claire’s voice. “Can you please just open the door.” 

You smile at Owen sheepishly as you untangle yourself from him for a second time. You crawl out of bed and grab the first piece of clothing you can find. It is one of the shirts you bought Owen at the airport. You throw it on. You are much smaller than Owen, so the shirt hits you mid thigh, at least covering your very naked body underneath. 

You hurry to the door and unlock it. You open it only far enough so you can peep through it. Claire is looking at you, the look on her face changes from exasperation to amusement when she takes you in from head to toe. “What took you so long?” 

“I-”

You do not have to say anything else. Claire does not wait for you to answer. “Never mind.”

“What?”

Claire would not have been at your door at 5.30 in the morning if she did not have a question. Or needed something from you. 

“I was looking for Owen.” She chuckles. “No one seems to know where he is.”

“Oh.” 

Your cheeks redden when Claire chuckles again. “Guess I’ve found him.”

You are at a loss for words for a moment, waiting for Claire to elaborate why she needed Owen this early in the morning. 

“It’s not THAT urgent.” Claire says. “My sister is leaving in an hour and Gray wants to say goodbye.”

“We’ll be down in a bit.” You mumble. 

Claire winks at you, before turning around and walking away. 

You close the door. When you turn around, Owen is probed up on the bed. He is grinning at you. “So much for keeping this between us for now.”

Damn, he looks ravishing lying on the bed bare-chested like that.

“Yeah, well…” 

You were surrounded by colleagues, locked in a hotel until your official documents had arrived from the embassy. You had not expected to keep whatever it was that you and Owen had, a secret from them for long anyway. Claire showing up only hours after it happened was a bit fast though. 

Not that you mind much, you realize. 

“You heard Claire.” You tell Owen. “Gray wants to say goodbye to you. Get your ass out of bed.” 

“We have another hour.” 

His voice is distinctively lower now. You watch as he gets out of the bed and you are a bit distracted by his bare chest. He reaches for you. 

“Oh no.” You take a step back, laughing. “Not now. You need to take a shower and get dressed.”

“You can use a shower as well.” He smirks. 

“Owen!” You squeal when Owen picks you up and carries you to the bathroom. 

“I’ll wash your back if you wash mine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think and drop in your requests! :)


	2. Meeting the handler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time you meet Owen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. At all. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

“Come on.” Claire motions for you to follow her. Slowly, you make your way out of Claire’s shiny white car.

You had started working at Jurassic World two weeks ago and Claire was showing you around the park. After only a week, it was decided that you would keep track of all the training programs in the park, to relieve Claire of her VERY high work load. 

One of those training programs involves velociraptors. You had heard all the stories about the first park 22 years ago. Why someone thought it was a good idea to breed another pack of raptors is a mystery to you, but apparently Simon Masrani had hired a guy who actually manages to train them. 

You feel a shiver run up and down your spine as you look at the high walls of the raptor paddock. A clear indication of the danger of these animals. 

Claire’s impatience makes you pick up your pace and you hurry after her, up the stairs leading to a catwalk over the paddock. Cursing your choice of outfit for the tenth time that day, you grab the railing as you almost lose your footing. Claire insisted on skirts and heels and while your closet is filled with outfits similar to Claire’s, you had realized only 15 minutes into the day that boots and shorts would have been more appropriate for outings into the park.

“Mr. Grady-” Claire starts, but she is cut off by an impatient hand being raised by the man she had just addressed. 

You look down into the paddock and cannot stop the gasp escaping you. Four raptors are intently looking at the man – Mr. Grady – holding a bucket and some sort of clicking device. 

You watch him belt out orders to each of the raptors – you mesmerize their names: Echo, Delta, Charlie and Blue – and he rewards them with dead rats if they follow the orders correctly. Finally, he turns around. He looks at Claire before his eyes linger on you. “Ah. Mini-Claire.”

You do not know if you should be offended or not, so you drop it for now. You extend your hand and introduce yourself. 

You finally take a good look at him. 

Damn. 

Claire had told you how impressive the raptors are. 

She had failed to mention their handler is equally as impressive. 

If not more so. 

“So, you’re Claire’s… what is it? Fourth assistant?” He smirks.

“That would be second, but no.” Claire snaps. The tension between the two of them can be cut with a knife and you wonder if something happened between them. “She’s hired to handle the training programs.”

“You mean ‘handle me’?”

Damn again. 

You are sure he had not meant it like THAT, but your mind takes a de-tour to the gutter and inappropriate images run through your mind.

Handling him would not be a bad thing. At all. 

His smirk widens and you suspect he knows what you are thinking. 

Double damn. 

“Mr. Grady-”

He interrupts you. “Owen.”

“Okay. Owen.” You smile. “I’m not here to interfere, just to keep track of how the animals are doing.”

If there is one thing you have learned in the last two weeks, it is that the men working on the island are just as territorial as the animals. When Owen does not respond, you continue. “I take it Blue is the bèta of the pack?”

Owen’s eyes widen a little. “You remembered her name.” 

It is not phrased as a question. 

“Er, yes.”

“And you said bèta.” 

“Yes?”

“Not alpha.”

“If she’d been the alpha, there is no way they would have listened to you.” You shrug. Owen seems a little impressed. 

“I take it back.” He mutters. “Not mini-Claire.”

You raise an eyebrow and Owen smirks again. 

Instantly, butterflies start doing summersaults in your stomach.

Not a good thing. 

Owen’s eyes link with yours, smirk still firmly in place. “I think we’ll get along just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> You can leave your comments or requests below. :)


	3. That is a BAD idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoskins had an idea. No one thinks it's a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

The moment you get out of the car, you notice something is off. Several people are standing in front of raptor paddock, circled around two men. You don’t see Owen anywhere, but Barry is talking to a man you unfortunately know too well. 

Hoskins. 

Barry is making wild hand gestures, while Hoskins is standing completely still, his face scrunched up in silent rage. You slowly walk towards them, trying to figure out what they are talking about. 

“You can’t just take them on a field test. That’s crazy.” Barry’s voice sounds angry. You have never heard him use that tone of voice. Ever. 

“You know they can follow orders.”

“They have never been outside their paddock, Hoskins. This is madness.” Barry stabs Hoskins in the chest with his finger for emphasis. 

“What is going on?”

Both men look at you, wide eyed. Neither of them had seen you coming. 

“I just proposed the next step of the training program.” Hoskins nods in your direction. The tone of his voice implies he is expecting you to agree with him. 

“Next step?”

“A field test.”

“You want to do WHAT?” Your jaw drops.

“I want to take the raptors to the field.”

“Hoskins, that is a really bad idea.” You sigh. He had opted the idea to you once before; he seemed to think it was possible to train the raptors to be weapons. You thought you had talked him out of it.

“Your reports state excellent progress with the animals.” Hoskins says. “They listen to Grady.”

Barry looks at you, an eyebrow raised. He and Owen never been bother to read the copy of your reports you send him after every visit. You ignore him. “Mr. Hoskins, as I’ve written down, they DO listen but only for snacks in return.”

“We can use that.”

“Yes, you could.” You roll your eyes. “Just don’t expect me to stay around for that. I’m pretty sure they would consider US a much tastier snack than the rats Owen’s been feeding them.”

Hoskins blinks. 

“Letting them out is a very bad idea, Mr. Hoskins.”

“You don’t know until we’ve tried.” He replies. 

“Are you not listening?” You sigh. “They would not hesitate to EAT us.”

You are startled by the hand on a small of your back. You turn around to find Owen standing next to you. “I would listen to her, if I were you.”

“Owen-” Hoskins looks from Owen, to Owen’s hand on your back and then focuses on Owen again. “You letting a girl fight your battles now?”

“I want you to get the hell away from MY animals, Hoskins.” Owen lowers his voice. “NOW.”

A shiver runs up and down your spine. 

Is it wrong that seeing Owen like this is a bit of a turn on? 

You shake your head to get the thought out. You know he is passionate about his raptors, but you have never experienced that passion like this first hand. 

“We’ll talk about this later.” Hoskins is not backing down. Before anyone can say anything else, he turns around and stomps away. 

“Son of a bitch.” Owen mutters. He looks down at you. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” You sigh. “That man is insufferable.” 

“Wh-what?” Owen chuckles. 

You look at him, eyes a little wide. Surely he knows that word. “Insufferable. It means-”

“I know what it means.” Owen is actually grinning now. “Why can’t you just say asshole.”

“Fine.” You shrug. “He’s an asshole.”

Owen shakes with silent laughter. “Damn, I like you.”

You blink. 

What? 

You are still staring at Owen, speechless, when he starts walking away. Before he enters the raptor cage, he gives you one last look. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

Your hearts starts beating rapidly. “Why?”

“We need to discuss those reports of you.” Owen smiles. “I’m glad you like my girls, but perhaps you can be a little less positive next time.”

Ouch. 

This is embarrassing. 

You really thought he was about to ask you out. 

How stupid. 

You nod, trying your best to keep your face neutral and you slowly turn around. You have almost reached your car when Owen calls out your name. 

“What?”

“Maybe we can have lunch afterwards?” Owen is smirking now. “You really need to be taught some proper swear words.”

Things are suddenly looking up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can still leave your comment or request in the comment box. :)


	4. The promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Owen goes into the park to find Claire's nephews, you make him a promise to make sure he comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

Owen is reeling with anger when he a places a hand on the small of your back and starts pushing you towards the exit of the control centre. 

“Fucking idiots.” Owen grumbles. 

You glance over your shoulder and see that the security guard is eyeing you carefully, making sure you and Owen really leave. 

Yelling at Simon Masrani and Claire gets a person kicked out of the building, it seems. 

“They should have killed that thing when they had a chance.” Owen is still muttering. You do not really know what to say. Considering he was almost killed by that freaky dinosaur, he has a right to be a little pissed off. 

“Owen, wait!”

A voice calling out his name makes you turn around. Claire is running towards you. She comes to a sudden halt when she has reached you and looks at Owen directly. “I need you.”

If Owen is surprised by those words, he does not show it. He just raises an eyebrow. 

“My nephews are in the valley. I need you to help me find them.” Claire rambles. “If anything happens to them…”

“How old?”

“What?”

“How old are your nephews?”

“Well, one is in high school. He is about this tall.” Claire raises a hand to indicate the height. “The other one is smaller-”Claire is near tears now. 

“You don’t know how old your nephews are?” Owen looks at Claire incredulously. 

“I-”

“Never mind.” Owen shakes his head. “Go find a jeep. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Claire rushes away. 

“Owen…” You look at him. “That thing is still out there.” 

You shake a little with worry. He had already escaped the Indominus Rex once. How likely is it that he would be able to do that again? 

“I know.” He takes your hand and gently squeezes. “I can’t leave those kids out there.”

You nod. You hesitate only for a second, before pulling him into a hug. “Be safe, okay?”

“Of course.” Owen pulls away slightly, his arms still wrapped around you. “Don’t worry about me.”

You snort. “Not gonna happen.”

“I’ll make sure I come back…” He leans into a you a little.

You raise an eyebrow because of the smirk on his face. If he is trying to reassure you, he is not doing a very good job. 

“I have to come back to hold you to your promise.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.” His smirk widens. “Of after-date activities.”

Oh yes. 

Earlier that day, you had practically promised him you would ‘put out’ after a date. 

You snort again. “So the promise of sex makes you want to survive that thing?”

Men. 

“Of course.”

You shake your head. You know he is only trying to make light of the situation. Even though it does not really do anything calm down your nerves, you tip-toe and you brush your lips against his. 

“Anything you want, then.” You mutter against his lips.

Owen growls lowly. 

“Oh, I’m definitely coming back now.”

You laugh softly and press another quick kiss on his lips. It this is what it takes to get him back safely, you would promise him all the sex he wants. 

“I’ll be careful.” He mumbles in your ear, his voice serious now. Owen flashes you one last smile before hurrying after Claire. 

Now all you can do, is wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can still leave your comments or requests in the comment box. :)


	5. Visiting the island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen has been insisting you come back to the island with him. Finally, you do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. At all. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

You had sworn to never set foot on Isla Nublar again. 

Ever. 

That was before your boyfriend had decided to be as stubborn as they come and chosen to resume his previous position on the island. 

You still cannot believe they are thinking about breeding another pack of raptors. 

For research purposes, or so they say. 

Or to keep Blue company, as Owen claims. 

Owen had been so relieved that the people who had first gone back to the island had actually found her. She had been living in the area surrounding the paddock she and her sisters used to occupy. For such a dangerous animal, she had been quite easily subdued. 

Owen believes it is because she is lonely. 

You are inclined to believe that as well, but you have a hard time accepting that continuing the road the park had been on before ‘the incident’ is a good thing. Right now, the researchers might be wary about creating genetically modified hybrids, but you have no doubt that someday, someone will try again. 

Owen had convinced you the island is safe right now though. 

After all, it HAD been safe until the Indominus Rex was created. 

That creature was no longer there, so he saw no reason for you not to come and visit him. 

He did have a point. 

So, after months of a long-distance relationship with Owen and spending weeks on end apart because you refused to come to the island, you had finally given in. 

And the view is still as breath-taking as the first time you had seen it. 

The moment you step off the boat and your feet hit the ground, you spot Owen. He is leaning against a park’s jeep, a lazy smirk on his face. 

His ruggedly good looks still take your breath away. 

Only seconds later, you are in his arms. 

“I missed you.” He mumbles. 

You raise your face to him for a kiss. He gladly obliges and you sway against him. Not caring there might be people watching, Owen immediately deepens the kiss. It had been five weeks since you last saw him and you crave his touch. 

His arms circle around you and he briefly lifts you off the ground before breaking the kiss. 

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Your voice is a bit breathless. 

“You have everything?”

You nod. Owen takes your hand and together you walk to the car. You sit in silence, but it does not bother you. Owen is one of the few people you can be silent with and still be completely at ease. 

Five minutes into the drive you start talking about what happened in your life since the last time you talked on the phone. The hour it takes to drive to his bungalow flies by. 

When Owen pulls up in front of the bungalow, you notice a flashy white car is already parked there. 

“Who’s car is that?” You point to the white BMW. 

“Peter.”

“Masrani?” 

Owen nods. Peter Masrani, Simon’s younger brother, had taken over the family’s company after Simon had been killed in that helicopter crash. He was also the one who had convinced Owen to come back to the island. Owen has mentioned him from time to time and it seems they get along well. 

Owen pulls up the car next to Peter’s impressive one. You get out of the car slowly, a little uncomfortable about your casual outfit. Peter greets Owen happily, before extending his hand to you. “You must be the girlfriend I’ve been hearing so much about.” 

Owen grins at you sheepishly. You grin back and then shake Peter’s hand. 

“I wouldn’t believe everything Owen tells you.” 

“Oh, it’s not just Owen.” Peter says. “Barry has been saying a lot of good things about you as well.”

That makes you blush a little. 

“I’ve actually read a number of the reports you’ve written while you worked here.” 

It seems Peter does not do small talk and you have an inkling where this going. The way Owen suddenly finds the trees next to his bungalow very interesting confirms it. 

“Mr. Masrani-”

“Peter.”

“Peter.” You sigh. “I don’t know what they’ve told you, but-”

Once again, he interrupts you. “Your reports spoke volumes. Miss Dearing speaks very highly of you. You were excellent at your job.”

“I-”

“We would be lucky to have someone like you one our team. I want you to come work for us again.” Peter gently smiles at you. “You have great managerial skills AND you were around the first time. I want a staff who won’t make those mistakes again.”

“I understand, but-”

“Just think about it, please.” He hands you a big brown envelop. “Look over the contract. The head position of one of our research departments is yours if you want it.”

Peter nods at you and smiles at Owen. You stare after him, your eyes wide. That is the strangest – and shortest – job interview you have ever head. When you turn around, you find Owen is grinning at you. “Owen, did you know about this?”

“He might have asked me if you would be open to the offer.” 

“Owen!” You do not know whether to angry or start laughing. 

“Just think about it.” His voice softens. “Please.”

“Fine.” You mumble. “You know I can’t refuse you anything if you look at me like that. “ 

“I know.” He smirks. “That’s all I want. For now.”

He gives you a quick hug, before taking your hand. “Come on.”

He practically drags you towards his bungalow. You laugh and he flashes you a grin. 

“I want to show you my etchings.”

 

_XXX_

 

You snuggle up to Owen. Your body is still humming from everything Owen has just done to you. 

Damn, you missed that. 

He is tracing invisible patterns on your back and you press a kiss on his jaw, before resting your head on his chest. You voice your previous thought. “I missed this.”

Owen chuckles. “Me too.”

You lay in silence for a few minutes and you feel yourself slowly falling asleep when Owen’s voice interrupts the silence. 

“Are you going to think about Masrani’s job offer?”

“I don’t know, Owen.”

“It might not be such a bad idea, you know.” Owen kisses the top of your head. “No more long-distance.”

You bury your face in the crook of your neck. “I know.”

“We could shack up.”

“Are you-” Your jaw drops. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

You raise yourself up a little so you can look him in the eyes. His green eyes are staring back at you. 

“We’ve done it before.”

You know he is referring to the hotel room you shared for two weeks and you shake your head softly. “That’s not the same thing, Owen.”

“I know that.” He flips you over and settles between your thighs. “But I’d love to have you around all the time.”

You heart flutters. You know Owen is in love with you, even though he only said it once. His affection shows in different ways. The small things he does made you realize he is just as crazy about you as you are about him. You had never expected him to be the kind of guy of who would remember not only the important meetings you have in your current job, but would also inquire after a report that had made you a little nervous. Or the kind of guy who would send your mother or sister flowers on their birthday. Those kind of things show you that, even though he does not say the words out loud much, he is in love with you. 

“Owen…” 

He can hear it in your voice – you would love to live him with as much as he would like you to move in with him. “Just say yes.”

His grin is infectious and you grin a little as well. 

“Yes.”

You do not get to say anything else. Owen’s lips crash into yours for another searing kiss. You wrap your arms around him and forget everything else around you. 

When you and Owen are catching your breaths for the second time that evening, a thought suddenly comes to you. “Oh no.” 

“What?”

You cannot help yourself. You laugh. 

“I have to tell my mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved. :)


	6. First fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first fight was bound to happen at some point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

Finally. 

You hear Owen’s motorcycle and you immediately get out of your chair to go meet him outside. 

“Excuse me for a moment.” You nod at your parents. Your mother frowns, but you ignore it. You rush out of the bungalow and force yourself to count to ten. No point in ripping his head off. 

Just yet. 

The sight of Owen makes you gasp. 

And not in a good way. 

He is covered in mud. His bare arms are covered in scratches, some bloodier than others. 

“Did she escape again?” You sigh. One of the new baby raptors was constantly escaping the baby-pen. Getting her back in there usually involved a lot of people getting scratch marks, Owen always taking the majority of it. Yet unlike the other times he came home looking like this in the last month, you do not feel sorry for him. 

“Yeah.” Owen mumbles. Then he takes a good look at you. “Why are you all dressed up?”

He is used to finding you wearing shorts and one of his t-shirts when he comes home; the professional work attire really is not all that comfortable in the Costa Rican heat. However, today you are wearing a blue dress with a cream-colored belt around your waist and heels in a similar color. 

“I didn’t forget a date, did I?”

Really? 

You raise an eyebrow and purse lips into a thin line. You start counting back from ten this time. You have not even reached seven when Owen’s eyes widen. 

“Oh. Fuck.”

“You can say that.”

“Babe, I’m-”

“Not now, Owen.” You glare at him. You lower your voice. You do not want your parents to hear you fighting. Your mother had been a little judgmental all day and you do not want to add fuel to the fire. “I asked you ONE thing.”

“I know.”

You are glad he is not making up excuses, but that does not mean you are not still angry with him. “Imagine my surprise when my father called me out of the one meeting I couldn’t reschedule to tell me SOMEONE had forgotten to pick them up from the docks.”

“Look, I’m sorry.” Owen sighs. “I was busy and I lost track of time.”

“Obviously.” You are still glaring. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Irritation gives his voice an edge. 

“That you obviously lost track of time. Again.”

“Not THAT again, please.” Owen’s eyes narrow. “I thought we talked about this.”

“No. We didn’t.” You take a step towards him. Both of you are glaring now and you have a feeling you are headed towards your first fight. “I talked. You shrugged.”

“THAT is how you remember it? From where I was standing, you didn’t talk. You nagged.” He glares at you, before doing what you assume he means to be an imitation of your voice. “‘Owen, you don’t spend enough time with me’, ‘Owen, why are you home so late’.”

“EXCUSE ME?” Your jaw drops. “That’s NOT what I said and you know it.”

The words leaves your mouth a lot louder than you intended to. From the corner of your eyes, you see the curtains in front of one of the windows move. Of course. Your mother. Since you do not want your parents to have a front row seat to this particular show, you take a deep breath. Your voice is menacingly low when you say your next words. “We’re supposed to be taking my parents out for dinner. Come. Or don’t come. Whatever.”

You want to turn around, but Owen grabs your arm. “Give me ten minutes to shower.”

He stomps into the bungalow and you follow more slowly. You have a feeling he is only coming to dinner because he does not like to lose an argument. It is going to be a very long night.

 

_XXX_

 

Traitors. 

There is no other word to describe them, you think, as your parents burst into laughter because of something Owen says. For the millionth time that evening. 

Owen had charmed your parents off their feet. Within ten minutes of leaving the bungalow. 

Your mother had been a been a little reserved at first, but Owen had apologized profoundly. Then he had lashed into a story about his new girls, the four little baby raptors that he was raising with the help of Blue’s tough love methods. Your mother’s reservation had melted like snow to the sun. A handsome man. Talking about babies. He may have been talking about dangerous raptor babies, but you know your mother is imagining a house full of grandchildren. 

One down. One to go. 

You should have known your father would appreciate Owen’s Navy background. 

Your father had never liked your boyfriends before. Ever. You have not yet figured out if your father does not think any man is good enough for his baby, or if he really thinks you have bad taste in men. However, he and Owen hit it off immediately. Owen was polite. He addressed your father as ‘sir’, which you know your father appreciates. Your father was a military man himself so naturally, the conversation had progressed to Owen’s time in the Navy. Your father had been a goner after that. 

At least your parents had fun during dinner. When you and Owen had dropped them off at one of the hotels near the park, your father had actually clapped Owen on the shoulder a few times. Your mother had muttered something like ‘hold on to this one, sweetheart’ into your ear when she said goodbye to you. 

They had even made Owen promise to join you all for breakfast the next morning. 

The ride back to the bungalow is tense, neither of you speaking. You would not know what to say anyway. You and Owen had actually never fought before. When you think about it, maybe you should have. Owen’s comment about the ‘nagging’ had not only irritated you, but it also made you realize that apparently Owen had not told you he was bothered by something you had done. You had been ready to throw some things back at him too. There are clearly some things you need to work out. 

When you get home, Owen walks into the bedroom immediately. You follow him and bite your lip. For the first time in a very long time, you are a bit nervous around him. “Owen…”

“What?” He snaps.

Apparently, someone is still angry. 

“Can we talk about this?” 

“What is there to talk about?” Owen sighs. “I screwed up. I apologized. Done.”

“Owen!” 

“What?” He turns around and glares at you.

“We need to talk about this.” You glare right back at him.

“I don’t NEED to do anything.”

You sigh. This is turning into a shouting match. Not what you had in mind. 

“Do you really think I nag you about things?” Your voice is suddenly very small and the look on his face softens a little. 

“I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You should.” You look him in the eyes. “If that’s how you feel.”

“It’s not.” Owen says. He must see the doubt on your face, because he takes a step closer to you. “It’s not.” He emphasizes. 

“Okay…” You mumble. 

“I’m not used to having to explain my whereabouts to someone.” He smiles a bit sheepishly. “It used to be just me. No one would notice if I suddenly didn’t show up for dinner. Or forgot to pick up their parents.”

That last bit actually makes you smile a bit. It should not be funny. But it is. Somewhat. “I don’t want to turn into a needy girlfriend, Owen. I know it’s important you spend so much time with the babies. I just… If you think I’m asking too much, just tell me.”

“Okay.” He takes another step towards you. “I will.” 

“Good.” 

You step into his welcoming embrace. This is a start. You tip-toe and brush your lips against his cheek. “My parents LOVE you.”

“Funny.” He smirks. “That never happened before.”

You burst out laughing. 

Before you can say anything, Owen picks you up. His smirk widens and he carries you to the bed. He tosses you on the mattress and is hovering over you a second later. He moves his hands up your legs and slowly starts sliding the fabric of your dress up. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Make-up sex, babe.”

Of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not forget to leave your requests in the comment box. I'd love to give them a try. :)


	7. Unexpected visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Owen's ex brings out the jealousy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

“Who is THAT?”

Barry jumps a little at your question. It is obvious he had not noticed you appearing next to him. “Uhm…”

After a meeting with some very hesitant investors, you decided to take a break and drop by the raptor paddock. You hope Owen will have time for a quick lunch. To forget about the pesky meeting. And to spend some time with him. 

You had not expected to find him so engrossed in his conversation with a tall, beautiful woman that he would not even notice you had arrived. 

You frown as look at the scene enfolding in front of you. 

Owen is talking to a brunette. She is pretty, you muse. VERY pretty. She is wearing awfully short shorts – even you cannot help but notice the impossibly long legs – combined with army boots and a black t-shirt with the logo of a band you have never heard of printed on it. Her long hair falls down her shoulders in waves flawlessly, even in this scorching heat. Her skin is equally flawless. She seems exactly the type of woman you had figured Owen would end up with before you two started dating. Not a good thing. You cannot hear what they are saying, but she laughs at something Owen says. She punches his shoulder playfully. He smirks, saying something else. Her whole body shakes with a next outburst of laughter and she rests her hand on his arm.

Is she flirting with him? 

You had no idea jealousy could rear its ugly head that fast. 

“Well?” You ask Barry again.

Barry shifts on his feet. He also avoids looking you in the eyes. “They know each other from back in the Navy.”

His apparent discomfort makes you a bit suspicious. 

“Know each other?”

“They used to date.”

“Oh.”

You know exactly who she is now. Of course you and Owen had talked about your previous relationships – even though Owen had not been happy hearing about the guys you were with before you met him. Male pride, or something. You had even made a very lame alpha-joke. You know he had been together with someone for a few years back in his Navy-days. He had not said as much, but from what Owen had told you about her, you knew he had been quite heart broken when the relationship had ended. 

He had failed to mention his ex is such a stunner though. 

And they seem to be getting along just fine right now. 

After a minute or so, Owen finally notices you and he motions for you to come over. You hesitate for a second, suddenly feeling a bit intimidated by the other woman. You put on your professional face and give Owen and the unknown woman what Owen has dubbed your ‘fake smile’ as you walk over to them. 

Owen’s eyes widen a little at the look on your face – damn, he really knows you too well – but does not say anything about it. He places a hand on your back and introduces you to the brunette. She is either oblivious to the sudden tension you portray or she is wisely ignoring it. 

“THIS is your girlfriend?” She eyes you up and down, taking in your professional attire and smiles briefly at you. Then she grins at Owen. “Grady, you’re dating up.” 

Owen chuckles. She extends her hand to you. “It’s so nice to meet you. Owen has told me a lot about you.”

Funny. He never mentioned you.

You bit back those words just in time. For one, it would not be the complete truth. Two, your mother had raised you to be polite. 

Even to ex-girlfriends who showed up for no apparent reason. 

So you smile politely again. “It’s nice to meet you too.” 

Your voice sounds a bit strained and Owen raises an eyebrow. The brunette does not seem to notice and she shakes your hand enthusiastically. 

It turns out that she is on the island with her teenage brother. The trip to Jurassic World was a belated birthday present. Her job in the Navy had taken her from home for long periods at a time when her brother was a kid, so she is using the trip to bond with him. What better way to do it than in a park with dinosaurs? 

You smile gently at her explanation, but silently admit to yourself that you would have loved for her to have chosen a different amusement park to do the bonding. 

Preferably one where she would not run into her ex-boyfriend, who happened to be your current one. 

Before you can make your excuses and leave – so much for some quiet time with Owen – she invites Owen AND you to join her and her brother for lunch. Owen instantly agrees and you cannot do much but follow. Spending an afternoon with his gorgeous ex-girlfriend is not necessarily at the top of your bucket list. Silently, you are not happy Owen agreed to lunch so enthusiastically either. 

Half an hour into lunch, you have to admit you can see why Owen had fallen for this woman all those years ago. She is funny, kind and smart. She had been in the Navy, so you know she must be a bit tough, but she still has a lot of feminine traits. Even you find it hard not to like her. 

Her brother seems to idolize Owen, faintly remembering him from meeting twice when he was a still a kid, and he is asking Owen a LOT of questions about the raptors. You take a sip of your water, listening to the animated conversation. 

“Owen told me you have some sort of managerial function here?”

Your eyes widen a bit at her question. How often does he talk to her? She seems to know quite a bit about you. 

“Yeah.” You mumble. “Research department.”

You know your answer is short and not the most inviting, but she is not deterred. “What kind of research?”

You start rambling about your work. Again, you have to admit she is smart. She is asking a lot of well-thought about questions. Which really is NOT making you feel better. For some reason, she makes you feel a bit insecure. Jealousy really is a bitch. 

After another half hour, the teenager is getting a little antsy. He wants to go back into the park, instead of sitting in a restaurant all afternoon. After paying the bill, all four of you walk out of the restaurant. The young boy is jumping from one foot to the other, motioning for his sister to hurry up. She shakes your hand before pulling Owen into a hug. 

You cannot help it. You frown. 

Luckily, neither she or her brother see the look on your face. Owen does though. He actually grins a little. The moment they walk away and are out of earshot, he looks at you. 

“You’re jealous.”

You look at the ground, feeling your cheeks flush. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Owen points out, chuckling. 

“Fine.” You admit. “I’m jealous. Happy?”

“Well, it is a bit flattering.” Owen is still laughing. “But you have nothing to be jealous about.”

“I know that.” You mumble. 

“Do you?” Owen smiles and pulls you into an embrace. 

You do not answer his question but sag against him. 

“It was a LONG time ago.” Owen mumbles into your hair. 

You still say nothing. Owen seems to enjoy your jealousy a bit too much. Must be a guy thing, you think. Of course, he would be amused about it. Jealously is not a fault of his. Then again, you never had an ex-boyfriend visit you. He might talk a different tune then. 

Owen breaks the hug. You blush some more under his stare.

“She is nice though.” The words escape you before you can stop them and he laughs some more. “Yeah, she is.”

Oh really? 

He thinks she is nice?

Your face darkens a little. 

You scold yourself for the irrational and unkind thoughts – why should he think differently, after all. But his comment is not the best way to make you feel any better about him and his beautiful ex. Not wanting to get into a discussion about it, or to admit how insecure she actually made you feel, you keep quiet. He seems to realize his ‘mistake’ and pulls you in for another hug. 

“Don’t worry, love.” Owen brushes a kiss against your lips. “You’re still my favorite.”

You snort. “Liar.” 

Owen raises an eyebrow. 

“We both know that’s Blue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still open to suggestions. :D Let me know if there's a scene you'd like me to try.


	8. Unexpected visitors - again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even Owen suffers from a little jealousy every now and then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This one was requested by **TheRyu** and **Resh**. I had not even thought about doing one like this, until you requested it. Thanks for that!  
>  It's a bit longer than the other chapters, but the words just kept coming. I hope it doesn't disappoint.
> 
> 2\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

You look up from the report you are reading when Claire appears next to your desk. She is fumbling with her bracelet, not at all looking happy to be where she is right now. 

“Claire? Is there something you need?”

“Can you come with me for a moment?”

She looks a bit uncomfortable and for a moment you wonder if something happened to Owen. You disregard the idea a second later. Surely Barry would have called you, and not Claire, if something had actually happened. Claire motions for you to follow her and you quickly get out of your desk chair. She leaves the room and you follow her, puzzled. “Is something wrong?”

“I have… a situation.” Claire says. 

“What?” 

“Peter invited some possible new investors. And you know we need them.”

You nod. She is still not making any sense. Why would she emphasize the fact that these investors are important?

“I’m supposed to show them around the park today, but they…” She hesitates for a moment, which is really not like her. 

“They requested you instead.”

“Wh-what?” Your eyes widen. The only investors you had to deal with, were those interested in the research programs. And even then, Peter or Claire would be there as well. Claire handles the park’s investors. It is a completely different field. “Why would they do that?” 

“One of them says he knows you.”

You look at her questioningly and Claire shrugs. “I don’t know much else. Can you come with me now?”

“Claire,” You sigh. “That’s really not my job.”

“I know, but Peter is insisting on it.” She says. “Please?" 

You know Claire is only you asking again because she does not want to pull rank on you. It seems like you have no choice. So you nod. Claire smiles briefly, before she starts rushing through the corridor. You follow her deeper into the building, until you reach the research lab. A group of six men in very expensive looking suits is listening to something Peter is telling them. Three of them are a bit older, their hair already greying. The other three are younger, two around their forties and one about your age. 

With a shock, you realize exactly who that young man is. 

You come to a sudden stop. 

The brown hair is still indistinguishable. It is shorter though. It is styled in a more proper hair-do as well, compared to the mop of brown curls he used to have. The suit fits him well, almost like it is tailored. Apparently, he has made quite a career for himself. 

“HELL no.” 

Claire turns around at your sudden outburst. “What?”

“I’m not doing this, Claire. Forget it.”

“What?” Claire looks at the men in the lab, before looking back at you. “Why not?”

“One of them is my ex-boyfriend.”

 

_XXX_

 

You bite your lip as you pull up the car in front of the raptor paddock. 

You had thought this day could not get any more uncomfortable, until one of the elderly men had asked about the raptors. Within seconds, the whole group had agreed. They wanted to the see them. 

You had tried to change their minds. Not only because you really did not want HIM anywhere near Owen, but also because you know how much Owen dislikes these unexpected visits. He only deals with suits if he has to. Peter had easily dismissed your arguments, so you had no choice but to take them. 

The way Dean keeps looking at you, makes you even more uncomfortable. The guy would not take a hint. 

You had not seen him in over five years. The break-up had been ugly. VERY ugly. Back then, you had thought you were going to marry him and have his children. Things turned out to be very different. It had taken you a long time to get over that one. 

Of course, Dean had made sure to be in the same car as you, Peter driving the second. They really must have some serious money, for Peter to be tagging along all day. When you had told Claire how you knew Dean, you had wanted to turn around and get as far away from the research lab as possible. Before you had been able to make your escape, Peter had spotted you. He had motioned for you to come inside and you had been stuck with them all day. Dean had made no secret of him being the one who pointed out the park to his colleagues as a possible investing option. Or to be the one who had asked for you to show them around. For some reason, he seemed to think it was a good idea for the two of you to hang out after work. He had been rather persisting – and annoying – in his quest. Even though you told him ‘no’ repeatedly. 

“Come on, darling.” Dean leans into you a little. “One drink. For old time’s sake.”

You glare at him. The other men had already gotten out of the car and Dean was looking at you, a smile on his face. You are about to tell him that you have a boyfriend – which you had avoided until now, you do not want everyone to know your personal business – when Peter waves at you a little impatiently. 

“I already told you. No.” You swiftly open the car door. “Now follow me.”

You quickly get out of the car and motion for the group to follow you. You immediately start with the list of warnings you had heard Owen tell visitors all the time. Do not get anywhere near the fence. Do not turn your back on the cage. The list goes on. 

Owen and Barry had obviously heard the commotion. They are walking towards you. You smile at Owen apologetically. “Peter wanted me to show these gentleman the girls.”

You can feel Dean’s eyes on your back and it makes you uncomfortable. You actually squirm a little. Owen immediately notices. “Are you okay?” 

His voice his soft, so the others cannot hear. You nod. “Tell you later.”

He nods in reply and you start introducing the all the men. Owen politely shakes all their hands. He really had gotten better at dealing with these groups. Your heart starts to beat a little faster when you introduce Dean. You know you mentioned his name to Owen once. 

“Dean, this is Ow-” Damn, you are nervous. “Er, Mr. Grady. He’s the raptor’s handler.”

Of course, Owen immediately picks up on the fact that you are using Dean’s first name when you introduce him, instead of a ‘mister’ and a last name like you did when introducing the others. Owen shakes Dean’s hand, but he is looking at you, a question in his eyes. Owen’s eyes are still on you when Dean says his full name while returning Owen’s handshake. You can see realization dawn on his face. His jaw tightens a little. 

Crap. You really should have given Owen a little warning. You could have send him a text or something. 

‘Sorry’, you mouth to Owen. He smiles back gently, even though his body language is a little tense. 

One of the men starts firing questions at you. You patiently try to answer them all. Dean has now focused his attention on Owen, obviously interested in the raptors. 

After a few minutes of introductory talks, Peter calls out for everyone to follow him. You follow them as slowly as you can without raising anyone's attention, since Owen and Dean stay behind. You really have no interest in those two being by themselves. 

Dean lets out a low whistle as you walk away. 

Idiot. 

From where you are standing, you can see Owen’s eyes narrow a bit. He doesn’t say anything though. 

“We used to…” Dean grins and he looks at Owen. “You know.”

“I don’t.”

Dean is not fazed by Owen’s short answer. “Do you know if she’s seeing someone right now?”

“Yeah, I do.” Owen is actually glaring at the other man now. 

“Oh?”

“Intimately.”

You want to snort at Owen’s answer. 

You really do. So much for you thinking Owen does not get jealous. The tone of his voice is telling, the look on his face tells you the rest. You keep a straight face though, as you lead the other men closer to the paddock. 

Dean frowns at the word. It takes him a second or two, but then he finally understands. “Oh! Sorry, man. Had no idea.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Owen nods at him and then joins you. He takes the guests up the catwalk and gives a short talk about the raptors. It is feeding time and Owen tells them they are all very welcome to watch, but it is not a pretty sight. 

Of course, they all want to stay and watch. 

You cannot help but feel a little smug when you see Dean pale at the sight of the raptors tearing apart a piglet. 

Owen smirks at you. 

Obviously, he noticed it too. 

After the ‘demonstration’, none of the men want to stay much longer. The raptors seem to have done the trick though, because most of the men immediately start talking business with Peter. You lead them back to the car. 

“Babe, wait up!”

You abruptly turn around. Owen is jogging towards you, a smirk on his face. You raise an eyebrow when he wraps an arm around you, his hand ending up dangerously low on your back.

The look in his eyes tells you he would have much rather put his hand a bit lower. 

“Don’t forget we have that thing tonight.” He says, before crashing his lips onto yours for a short but very real kiss. 

Possessive much? 

You are too shocked to laugh about the idiocy of his words. Or to think about the fact that you and Owen had agreed to keep your relationship at home and be professional at work. Of course, people know you are together – you are living with him, after all – but you do not _show_ it when at the job. 

Owen smirks at you, before he turns around and walks back to towards the cage. From the corner of your eye – and luckily out of sight from your guests – you see that Barry is smirking a bit too. 

Boys will always be boys, apparently. 

It takes you a few more hours, before you finally make it home. It really had been an exhausting day. Not something worth repeating. Owen is sitting on the couch in a t-shirt and shorts. You throw him a tired smile. He motions to the spot on the couch next to him and to the second beer on the table. You do not know which looks more appetizing right now, Owen or the cold beer. 

“Was that necessary?” 

Owen immediately knows you are referring to the little stunt he pulled. Not that you mind him kissing you – not at all – but your boss had been there as well. 

“No.” Owen smirks. “But it was fun.”

You shake your head, laughing softly. Owen pulls you onto the couch and against his chest. “How long did you date that guy again?”

“Almost three years.” You mumble. Owen’s hand had slipped up your leg, under the hem of your dress, his fingers gently kneading your skin. His touch is a bit distracting. 

“Why?” 

“Hmm?” You lean into Owen’s touch, craving more. 

“He’s a bit of an ass.”

You look up, your lips curving into a smile. So Owen DOES know the little green monster as well. “Sounds like you’re jealous.”

“Nope.” Owen is smirking now. “Just showing him that you’re mine now.”

“Yours?” You chuckle. 

“Yup.”

Owen’s eyes glint naughtily and his hand moves a little further up your leg. You chuckle again. You know he had been a little jealous though, even if he does not want to admit it. He had gotten all possessive in the process. He can pull off the playful cockiness though. He looks damn sexy while doing it too. 

So you decide. Definitely Owen instead of the beer. 

You place your hands on his shoulders, pushing him until he is lying on the couch. You sit up and straddle him, pressing your lips against his. He immediately responds, his hands moving to your hips. Before he can deepen the kiss, you pull away. You smirk a bit yourself, clearly remembering what he had told you a few months ago, when you had a bit of a jealousy issue yourself. You hover over him, your lips barely touching his. 

“Don’t worry, love.” Your smirk widens. “You’re still my favorite.”


	9. Thunder storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thunder storms can be frigntening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.
> 
> 2\. Panic attacks are no picnic. I know. 
> 
> It all ends fluffy though. Maybe even a bit too fluffy. :P The extreme heat wave right now makes my mind come up with the silliest things. I hope you all still like it anyway! 
> 
> 3\. This chapter is a tiny bit more explicit. Nothing too much, and I wasn’t sure if I needed to up the rating on this thing. So just a warning beforehand.

“Owen, slow down!”

You can hear how snappish your voice sounds. 

Owen is not oblivious to it either. “Do you even know what you want?” He glances at you. “You just told me to get you home as soon as possible two minutes ago.”

“Just keep your eyes on the road.” Your voice hitches. “Please.”

The sky is pitch black and rain is pouring down, which makes it difficult to see more than 20 meters ahead. You flinch as flashes of lightning run through the sky, followed by loud thunder. Owen glances at you again, chuckling. “Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

“Just drive, Owen.”

Owen chuckles some more, but keeps his eyes on the road. You flinch once more as the thunder starts up again. You think you may have felt the ground shake, but that could also be your imagination. Fear can make people a bit irrational, after all. You close your eyes and try to stop your heart from hammering in your chest. 

Because even if you would not admit it to Owen, you are terrified. 

You had always been somewhat wary of thunder storms, but they never affected you as much. It is a whole other story since the incident. Ever since that day, thunder storms terrify you. It probably has to do with loud noises and the roaring sound of the thunder. It is your first tropical storm season on the island and until a few weeks ago, you had not known how frightened a storm could actually make you. 

You had been home alone that evening, when the sky had turned really dark all of a sudden. The first loud clap of thunder had startled you and from there, it had gotten worse. You had done all the breathing exercises your therapist had given you when you used to have those panic attacks caused by the incident. It had helped somewhat. When Owen had finally come home, you had literally thrown yourself at him. He had been a bit confused at first, but when you pulled him down on top of you he had eagerly responded. You had clung to him, frantic to get him naked and all over you as soon as possible. Only when he had been inside you – as close to him as you could possibly get – you had felt the panic subside a little. 

When he asked what had brought THAT on, you had mumbled something about wanting to be close to him. You did not want to worry him. You had told yourself it had only happened because you were tired.

You had not counted on another panic attack. 

When you finally reach the bungalow, you and Owen rush inside. Despite the short walk from the car to the bungalow, you are both soaked because of the pouring rain. 

A gush of wind makes the door slam close. It is followed by another flash of lighting. Then the noise rolls in. 

You jump. 

Owen watches you, chuckling again. “Scared, baby?”

He does not mean any harm and he moves to the bathroom to get some towels. But you do not find it amusing. At all. 

“Damnit, Owen. It’s not funny.” 

You had wanted to raise your voice, but the words are barely audible. You gasp and the sound makes Owen turn around. “Babe?” 

Suddenly, it is a bit difficult to breath. You gulp for air. Oxygen does not seem to find its way to your lungs, so you gulp again. And again. It feels like your throat is closing up and it is getting even harder to breathe with every breath you try to take. It only increases your panic. The room starts to spin a little. Your breathing becomes even more erratic. 

“Shh. You’re okay.” 

From what seems out of nowhere, Owen’s arms are around you. With one hand against your cheek, he makes you look at him. You try to focus, but it is difficult as your throat closes up even further. 

“Steady. Breathe in gently.” Owen’s voice is soothing and he emphasizes his own calm breathing. You try to copy him. “That’s it. Gently. You’ll be okay.”

He keeps talking to you and slowly, your breathing calms down. You feel a bit dizzy though. Now that you can breathe again, albeit still in short gasps, you notice the worry in eyes. You want to apologize for scaring him, but the words will not come out. 

“Just breathe, sweetheart.” Owen pulls you against him gently. The steady rising of his chest makes you calm down further and after another five minutes, your breathing has slowed down to a normal pace. You push yourself closer to Owen; you need to feel him against you right now and you are a bit afraid the panic will come back if he lets go. 

Owen seems to notice, because he lays down on the couch, pulling you with him so you are basically draped all over him. You try to draw even closer, almost like you are trying to get inside him. His arms are wrapped around you firmly, but not too tight, as if he is afraid that holding you closer will give you trouble breathing again. 

You are still a bit shaky when you finally look up to him. “Owen…”

“I didn’t know you still have these panic attacks.” His green eyes link with yours, silently asking you why you have not told him. 

“I don’t.” You mumble. “Not really. But the storm… It’s the noise.” 

Your voice falters. The first two weeks after the I-rex had escaped, the panic attacks were a constant. Owen had held you through every one of them. Therapy had helped and they had become less and less. It had been almost a year since the last one, with the exception of the minor one during the last storm that had made you literally jump Owen the moment he got home. 

“I’m sorry.” He mutters into your hair. 

“Not your fault.” 

You bury your face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent. It calms you down even more and finally, you feet your muscles relax a little. 

It only lasts a minute though. The storm picks up again. You know Owen can feel your whole body tense because he starts talking again. “The girls used to be scared of the thunder as well.” 

You can hear the affection in his voice and you press a kiss against his jaw, asking him without words to just keep talking.

“They were six months old and I had to put them in the paddock, because they were becoming too big for my place and they kept breaking everything in the house. Charlie would chew anything she could get between her jaws.” Owen looks down at you and smiles softly. “I was just about to go home when the storm started. All four started hissing. Delta was actually whining. So I stayed with them.”

“Of course you did.” 

“All four of them were pressed against the bars and Blue kept giving me the evil eye because I wouldn’t get in the cage with them anymore. I was soaked to the skin when Hoskins found me the next morning. He mocked me for days. Told me they were animals, not my children.”

You raise yourself a little and kiss him. You know how much he misses them, even though he has new animals to take care of now. Replacing something you cared about so much is just not possible. Owen’s grip on you tightens a little and you smile softly when you pull away. “They were your babies though.”

Owen chuckles and he seems a little embarrassed about almost admitting he sometimes may have overdone it with the caring a bit. “Would you?”

“Would I what?”

“Babies.”

Your eyes widen a little. Owen and you had never really discussed the possibility of children. You know you feel the same way about kids. You could see yourself with children in the future. His children. You know he feels the same way. Somewhere in the future. Right now, you just want to enjoy having Owen to yourself a little longer. “Yeah. Someday.”

“Good.” He murmurs into your hair and presses a kiss on your head. You close your eyes, listening to his breathing and trying to block out the storm outside. Once more, you snuggle up to Owen. If only you were not so tired… Practicing to make babies in the future would be fun right now, but you are just too exhausted. 

“We should start practicing when I’m not so tired.”

Owen’s laughter made you realize you actually said those words out loud and your cheeks flush a little. You do look up to grin at him. That grin you love so much adorns his face. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Please do.”

Owen chuckles again. You try to get even closer to him, slipping your hand under his shirt to connect with his skin. “I love you.” You mumble.

He hooks his thumb under your chin to make you look at him. “I love you, too.”

You smile brightly. It almost makes you forget about next bout of thunder. You wrap yourself around Owen and his breathing lulls you into a deep sleep. 

You wake up in your bed somewhere during the night. Owen had obviously carried you to the bed. You must have been really out, not waking up from that. Owen is sleeping soundly next to you. You bite your lip, wishing for him to wake up. You have a sudden need to be as close to him as you possibly can. 

After tossing and turning for a bit, you realize Owen is not going to wake up by himself. So you take matters into your own hands. Literally. Owen groans a little in his sleep when you slip one hand under this shirt and over his chest. You bury your face in his neck and your lips latch onto his skin. 

You know exactly when he wakes up, because his arm slips around you like a tight band. His breathing becomes a little more shallow. You do not know whether it is from waking up suddenly or because of what you are doing to him. His breath catches when you slide your hand down his chest, lower and lower. 

“What are you doing?”

You chuckle. Owen's last word comes out of a groan as your hand reaches its destination.

“Practicing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one will be a bit more lighthearted again, promise. ;)


	10. Are we or aren't we?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A life changing event might be happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.
> 
> 2\. Sorry it took me a few days to post this next update. Real life got in the way. :) I will update another chapter later tonight though. :D

You look at the mug of tea in your hands and frown. You woke up cranky, both because of the lack of sleep and because of the nerves. The fact that you denied yourself coffee this morning is not helping either. 

Owen smiles at you, pretending you have not been in a foul mood from the moment you got out of bed an hour before. He always tried to diffuse your moods like that. 

Today it is not really helping though. 

Owen does not give up. "Babe, do you wanna come with today?"

You look up from your cup of tea - which really is NOT strong enough this early in the morning. You crave coffee. Your confusion at Owen's question must show on your face, because Owen chuckles. 

"Not awake yet?"

You shake your head at his second question, while answering his first with one of your own. "Come where?"

"New hatchlings." Owen takes a bite of his toast. "You've never been. You should."

Again you shake your head, not in the mood to watch dinosaurs hatch today.

"You should come. You'll like the babies."

"Not today, Owen."

Your answer is short and does not sound all too friendly. It is the fourth time you snapped at him this morning, even though he has done nothing to deserve it. Owen frowns a little, obviously aware of your not-so-good mood.

You bite your lip, an apology in your eyes as you look at him. Today of all days, Owen would start talking about babies. Dinosaur babies, but still. 

It is not his fault, you have not shared your worries with him. Last night, going through your calendar to plan a weekend with your sister - who still refused to come to the island - you had realized with a shock that your period is late. Very late. That never happened before, at least not by a few weeks. 

You had cursed yourself. You never understood how women who used the pill as sole method of birth control would not know when the pill might not work properly and be surprised when they ended up pregnant in the process. Now you had fallen into the same trap. You should have realized that the stomach flu you had weeks ago would have an effect on the contraceptive. 

You barely slept last night. You had no idea how Owen would take the news that you might be pregnant. While he seems happy with the idea that you would love to have his children someday, the possibility in the future is very different from it happening right now. You do not even know how you yourself feel about it yet. 

Time to get a test and then break the news to Owen. 

Owen's eyes are trained at you, but you do not notice as you got lost in your own musings again. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." You feel your cheeks heat up under his intense gaze. You have never been able to lie at him and the way he raises his eyebrows just a little shows you that you still have not mastered it. "Really, Owen. Just tired". 

The words come out as a snap again. Owen raises one eyebrow even further; whether it is because of the tone of your voice or because he is not completely convinced, you do not know. You being tired is the truth, even if it is only half of it. For now, he seems to accept your answer; he does not ask anything else. You finish your breakfast in silence. When Owen slowly - too slowly - starts to get ready to leave for his work day, you know he is a bit worried about you. 

You sneak your arms around his waist from behind and presses a kiss between his shoulder blades, albeit on his shirt instead of his direct skin. "I'm okay, Owen." 

You try to reassure him. It is a good thing he cannot see your face, because he would have seen right through you. His answer is a short mumble you cannot really make out. Owen turns around, pulling you into a proper hug and he buries his face in your hair. "Just call me if you need anything."

"I will."

"Okay." 

He kisses you goodbye. When he walks out the door, he glances at you one last time and you smile at him. A sigh of relief escapes you when you hear his motorcycle pull off. Perhaps you should have told him, but you really do not want to do so without being able to give him some security about the situation. 

Time to buy a test. 

 

_XXX_

 

Even though Jurassic World functions as a small town, the largest portion of the people, the guests, are only on the island temporarily. Most of the people who actually do live on the island can be SUCH gossips. You know that if anyone sees you buy a pregnancy test in one of the park's two drug stores, there is a chance Owen knows about it before you can tell him yourself. And the news would probably reach everyone else before it would even get to Owen.

So you are a bit wary before entering the drug store.

You glance inside and see Liz is behind the counter. The young blonde had joined the park's staff four months ago and you got along well. She had started as one of the animal caretakers, but after only two weeks, she had realized that although she loves animals, dinosaurs are not her thing and that she would be much more at place elsewhere. She was rotating between shops now. It was not what she had studied for, but Liz had told you she was happy. Her on-going flirtation with Barry helps, of course.

Normally you would go in to have a chat, but now you wait outside, knowing her shift is likely to end around lunch time. 

You are happy you thought about bringing a magazine, so you do not look like a complete idiot sitting outside the drugstore for more than an hour. You bought a cup of tea, the sun is shining and there is a nice breeze, so to others it looks like you are just enjoying the weather. After what seems like forever, Liz' shift ends. The two of you talk for a few minutes, after which she has to run to make it in time for her next shift in one of the park’s restaurants. You sigh in relieve when you realize you do not know her replacement. That still does not mean the other girl would not know you, but it would make the chance of the whole island knowing much slimmer. 

You go inside and walk through the aisles, finally finding the right one. 

Damn. How many different brands of pregnancy tests does one drug store need? You have no idea which one to choose, so you pick two of the more expensive ones - hoping that the price is an indication of accuracy. When you pay for them, the girl behind the counter shows no signs of knowing who you are. Relieved you finally have what you need, you rush out of the store. You make it outside without any more interruptions and then you bump into someone. 

"Whoa, what's the rush?"

Claire. 

Immediately, your cheeks flush. 

"I, ehm-" You do not really know what to say. 

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." You say. " Headache." 

Claire throws you a look that shows she does not believe you, but she does not probe any further. "Perhaps you should lie down for a bit. You DO look a bit pale." 

"I will." You attempt to smile at her. " We should go for coffee soon." 

"Yeah." Claire is still eyeing you curiously. "Make sure you get some rest."

You nod and offer her a small wave of goodbye when Claire walks into the store herself. 

There is no way she -or anyone else - could know what is hidden in your bag, but you feel awfully exposed when you walk across the parking lot to the company jeep that is yours for as long as you are employed at the park.

When you sit down in the jeep, you let out another sigh. You are already exhausted from this day and the hardest part still has to come.

You have to tell Owen. 

 

_XXX_

 

Owen slowly pushes his plate away. 

At least one of you had enjoyed the simple pasta salad you had made when Owen called he had been held up at the paddock. Waiting for him to come home had been nerve wrecking. It is not that you doubt him. You KNOW he will be by your side no matter what. You do not know what it exactly is that makes you so nervous, but you have been a mess all day. If Owen had noticed you barely said a word all through dinner or that you hardly touched your food, he is not saying anything about it. 

Now that he is done with dinner, you feel you can finally tell him what has been bothering you the last 24 hours.

You bite your lip. 

Here goes nothing. 

"Owen, I'm late."

He looks up. That confused look you find so cute on him - he had grumbled a little when you told him so, apparently he did not like to be called 'cute' - adorns his face. "Late for what?"

You make sure he is looking at you before you try again. ""I'm LATE."

"Wait," Realization dawns on his face. "You mean..."

You nod, your lip once again between your teeth. Owen stares at you, eyes wide. "Are you-"

"I don't know." You interrupt him. "I bought a test this afternoon." 

You do not have to admit to him you really did not want to wait for the results alone; he does not ask why you had not done the test already. He simply nods. "Okay." 

"What are we gonna do if-"

This time, he is the one who interrupts you. "We can figure that out when we know IF there is something to figure out."

You have no idea why he is so calm about this all, or if he is just calm above the surface, but it has a soothing effect on you as well. He is right. You will figure it out and together with him, you are sure you could handle parenthood. So you nod. "Let's do this then."

You get up from your chair and want to walk to the bathroom, when Owen gently grabs you by the elbow. You look up at him and he leans in to brush his lips against yours. 

"It will be okay. One way or another."

You swallow. That sounded like he is trying to convince himself as much as he's trying to convince you. It seems like neither of you are really prepared for something this big happening unplanned. 

Your mother had been right after all – abstinence really is the only form of contraceptive that is effective.

You want to chuckle when your mind helpfully chimes in that your mother never lived with a man like Owen. Fat chance of abstinence, with a man like him in close proximity. 

In the bathroom, you follow the instructions and then all you can do is wait. 

Those two minutes seem to last forever. Owen is standing behind you and you lean against him a little, needing his support. 

After those two minutes, you see something appear on the test. 

You stare as the result sinks in. 

Negative. 

Owen peeks over your shoulder to look at it too. You have no idea how to interpret his sharp intake of breath. Does that mean he is happy with the result? 

"Well..." You mumble. Owen wraps his arm around you from behind and pulls you against his chest. He rests his head on your shoulder. "Yeah." 

For a minute or so, the both of you are quiet. You try to decipher your own emotions. One side of you is a little relieved. You are not sure if you are ready to share Owen yet - as selfish as that may be - and you do not feel ready to be a mother just yet. The other side of you, however, is strangely disappointed. The concept of a child suddenly being very real had made your heart beat a little faster with excitement and happiness. Damn, you really do not know how to feel about this. 

"Is it bad that I'm a little disappointed?"

You turn your head sharply at Owen's words. "Wh-what?"

Owen shrugs and smiles sheepishly. "I just realized I wouldn't have minded. Would have made me happy, actually." 

Your face breaks into a smile. 

"WE would have been happy." Owen mutters, before pressing his lips against yours in a brief kiss. "So what do we do now?"

Good question. What do you do now? 

"What do you want?" 

He chuckles as you throw the question right back at him. It is not because you do not want to answer his question. You have honestly no idea what the two of you should be doing now. Does the disappointment you both feel means that you are ready to try and start a family? Do you really WANT that right now?

"You." Owen smirks as he answers your question. 

You chuckle. Because of his smirk, there is more than one way to interpret that word. You have a feeling Owen is only trying to make light of the situation. He is not the type of guy for declarations of love or one to be very open about his feelings, but you know him well enough to know he does not mean it in the sexual way right now. At least not just in that way. 

"I want you, too." You reply, kissing his cheek. "I don't mind it's gonna be the two of us for a little longer." 

The confession leaves your lips easily. Must be how you feel then.

"Me neither. For now." 

You smile at the promise those words entail and lean into Owen to kiss him properly this time. You smile into the kiss when Owen's hands immediately find their way under your shirt and start a dance over the skin of your back. He breaks the kiss all of a sudden though, a look on his face that indicates he just realized something. 

"Was this the reason you drank tea instead of coffee this morning?"

You nod. 

"So you can drink coffee tomorrow, right?"

You nod again. 

Owen grins. "Thank God."

You raise an eyebrow questioningly. 

Owen's grin widens and you have a feeling where this is going. 

"Do you know HOW cranky you get without coffee?" 

He can just duck in time to avoid your hand aimed at the back of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	11. The question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The question comes rather unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This scene was one of the first things that came to my mind after finishing 'Unexpected Turns'. I hope you all like it... 
> 
> 2\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.
> 
> 3\. WARNING: FLuff ahead. And some hinting of sex. Nothing too explicit, just wanted to give you a heads up.

You burst out laughing when Owen appears next to the jeep. He is covered in mud. It had been pouring with rain the last few days and the park had turned into a big pool of dirt and water. There was no way he could safely drive his motorcycle, so you had been dropping him off and picking him up the last two days. 

Apparently, Owen had been getting reacquainted with the mud today. Up close and personal. 

“Hop in.” You motion, while shooting him a grin. “Your turn to clean the car though.”

He gives you a tired smile and rests his head against the back of the seat. 

“Bad day?”

“Hmm.” 

You glance sideways and Owen grumbles. “The new kid is an idiot.”

It is a phrase you heard a few times the last two days. “What happened?”

“He thought he could pet Blue.” Owen shakes his head. “Nearly got his hand chewed off. Why do they never learn?”

“He probably did now.” 

You roll your eyes. Despite knowing the raptors for quite some time now, you would not get anywhere near the girls – even if you wanted to, Owen would not let you. He was awfully protective of you whenever you visited the paddock. You would not dare to try and touch them. You do not know how some of the guys Owen has assigned to him can be so stupid as to confuse the raptors with kittens.

You look sideways when Owen does not respond and you smile softly when you see he has fallen asleep. He had been working really hard lately and he seemed a bit nervous about something else as well. You decide to let him sleep for a while and drive home in silence. 

When you reach the bungalow half an hour later, Owen does not even wake up when you park the car. 

“Owen?” You gently place a hand on his shoulder and his eyes fly open immediately. “What?”

“We’re home.” 

“Ugh.” He stretches a little, before rubbing his eyes. You cannot help yourself; you brush a kiss against his lips, barely being able to hold back from telling him he looks adorable right now. He smiles at you before opening the door and getting out of the car. 

You follow his lead. The moment you place your heel on the ground, you feel yourself start to slip. You overcorrect too sharply and you lose your footing completely. 

Shit. 

The expensive suede skirt that you love so much. Ruined. 

That is the first thing you think when you land on your ass in the mud. 

Owen rushes around the car after seeing you disappear behind the window. He chuckles a little when he finds you sitting down, your skin soaked and your legs already brown from the dirt. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, offering his hand to help you up. “Anything hurt?”

“My ego.” You mutter. 

Owen chuckles at your comment and leans down a bit further. You grab Owen’s hand and he is about to pull you up, when an idea crosses your mind. You smirk at him. He just has time to raise an eyebrow questioningly, when you yank his arm. Hard. 

Owen obviously did not expect the move and he topples over, going chest first. He ends up in the mud next to you. You start laughing, when he glares at you. “Thanks for that.”

You are still laughing, when Owen turns around. He is lying on his back now and you do not see his hand coming. 

You almost choke on your laughter when you feel something hitting your chest. Owen is smirking at you when you glance down, your white blouse now covered in dark streaks. 

“You are SO going to get it now.”

“Oh really?” His smirk widens.

“That is not what I meant.” You chuckle as you realize his mind immediately went to the gutter at your words. Before he can reply, you grab a bit of dirt yourself and throw it at him, hitting him square in the face. He looks shocked for a second, but then he grabs for you. 

Within a minute, you are rolling around in the mud, laughing hard. For a moment, you think you have the upper hand when you try to push him down. 

You are wrong. 

Owen is much stronger than you and without effort, he flips the two of you around. He pins you down and you are being pushed a bit further into the wet ground. Owen situates himself, until he is lying on top of you, his legs settling between yours, effectively trapping you beneath him. Both of you are still laughing. He grins down at you when he blurts out his next words.

"Damn, I have to marry you." 

"Owen." You laugh, the words not fully registering, and you try to push him off you by placing your hands on his shoulders. 

Then the words finally sink in. 

The grip you have on him tightens.

What?

The look on his face changes from playful to something much harder to read. His eyes darken a little and his voice drops an octave or two. 

"I'm serious." 

"Wh-what?" You stutter and your eyes widen. 

"Marry me." 

It is not exactly phrased as a question. Is he doing what you think he is doing? Your heart rate quickens even further and you feel butterflies fluttering in your stomach furiously. 

"Wh-what" You have a bit of trouble finding your voice and the words will not come out. "Are you-"

"Proposing?" Owen's smile is a mixture of love and self-consciousness - something you rarely see on his face. "Yes."

It is not planned. At all. Just like the time he asked you to move in with him. It is not a candle light dinner proposal or something else overly romantic. It is nothing like you see in the movies. It is not the kind of proposal a girl might dream about. You are lying in a pool of dirt and water, both of you soaked to the skin and covered in mud from head to toe. Yet in that moment, you realize you would not have it any other way. 

So you really do not have to think about your answer. 

"Yes." 

His face breaks into a smile that takes your breath away, before his lips crash against yours. You wrap your arms around him and Owen immediately deepens the kiss. His hands find their way under your sodden blouse, dancing over your skin. You moan into his mouth when he cups a breast. All your senses are heightened by emotions slamming through you. 

Owen starts sliding up your blouse and you are about to raise yourself a bit so he can take the material off you, when he abruptly breaks the kiss. "Let's take this inside." 

His voice rasps with emotion and once again, your breath catches, knowing that he is just as affected by the moment as you are. Owen stands up and offers you a hand to help you up. As soon as you are on your feet, he grabs you and tosses you over his shoulder. 

You laugh heartily. "So much for romance." 

You feel Owen chuckle more than you hear it or see it. Owen carries you into the bungalow and heads towards the bedroom. You are both drenching the carpet and dripping mud all over the place. Despite being caught up in the moment, your practical side takes kicks in. 

"Perhaps a shower first." 

"Yes. Good idea." 

The tone of his voice makes you shiver in anticipation. 

An hour and a half later, you are still trying to catch your breath when Owen wraps a towel around your humming body. You have to agree with him – that definitely had been a good idea. 

Your legs are still a bit weak when you walk to the bed and get under the covers. You expect Owen to follow you, but he smirks. “Wait here.”

“Not going anywhere.” You retort, smiling. 

It is probably going to be difficult to get rid of that smile the next couple of days.

You cannot help but blissfully think _'this is what I'm going to be looking at for the rest of my life'_ when you watch his naked, retreating back. 

You are such a sap.

You hear Owen rummage through the some of the clothes in the closet. Only half a minute later, Owen returns. You gasp when you notice the little black box in his hands. "Owen..."

He sits down on the bed next to you and pulls you a little closer. The smirk has been replaced by a sheepish smile.

"It wasn't a complete 'spur of the moment' thing." He mumbles. "I've been waiting for the right moment to ask you and-"

You cut him off by a kiss. You had not thought you could get any happier, but the fact that he HAD thought about it, before he actually popped the question rather out of the blue, makes your heart almost burst with happiness. When your hands start tugging at his hair, trying to pull him down on top of you, Owen breaks the kiss. 

"I'd love to take this further, but let's make this official first."

You blush. You had not even thought about the ring inside the little box. You bite your lip when Owen pops open the jewelry box. What you see makes you gasp out loud. The small stone. The small silver band. Nothing big or overstated and exactly how you like your jewelry. Damn, he really had thought about this. 

"Still want to marry me?" 

The question is asked softly when he slips the ring on your finger. 

You nod and you feel tears well up in your eyes. The way Owen carelessly throws the box over his shoulder makes you laugh however. "You’re such a dork."

"Says the woman who just agreed to marry me." He smirks. "Was does that make you?"

"The happiest girl in the world."

So corny. 

You know it. Owen knows it. 

You both burst out laughing. Still shaking with laughter, you let yourself fall back against the mattress and pull Owen with you. He is looking down at you when his hands start wandering. A breathy sigh escapes you when one of his hands skims over your belly, circles around your belly button and teasingly slow continues its journey downwards. You know you are in for a good thing - right now and hopefully the long run - when Owen's grin widens even further.

"Let's see if I can make you even happier."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved. :)


	12. A little incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go a little awry at the raptor paddock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.
> 
> 2\. Warning: some mild swearing.

You are still grinning when you get out of the car. The smile has not left your face the last three days. 

You probably look like an idiot, but you do not care. 

Happiness could do that to a person. 

Owen walks around the car and wraps his arm around you. He pulls you against him. His lips crash against yours in a kiss that is not necessarily appropriate in public. When he finally pulls away, because someone cat-calls, you are a bit breathless. 

You blush when Barry walks over to you, a wide grin on his face. Owen chuckles. Your eyes widen a little when a sheepish looking Liz appears from behind Barry. You raise your eyebrow questioningly and now it is Liz’ time to blush. 

“Guess we weren’t the only ones who had a good evening.” Owen mutters in your ear and you laugh. 

Owen steps away from you and he claps Barry on the shoulder. You almost role your eyes at the typical male gesture, but Barry smiles. You follow the men and Liz slowly as they make their way towards the cage. 

“I just need to grab some buckets. Wait here, okay?”

You nod at Owen’s question and remain standing in a spot where he can see you from the catwalk. Barry and Liz disappear from your line of vision. You take a deep breath, enjoying the morning sun on your face. 

Until you see a flash of a white race past you. 

You blink and turn around, seeing three men you have never seen edging the fourth one on. They look like typical park visitors; back packs, shorts and t-shirts and phones at the ready to take pictures. They all look a bit drunk and you wonder if they had pulled an all-nighter in one of the park’s bars. Guests are not allowed anywhere near the paddock though, they really should not be here. 

“Barry?” You call out for your friend. He does not respond, so you call out his name again, this time a little more louder. From the corner of your eyes, you see Owen heard you and he is looking down at you from the catwalk. 

That is when you see the fourth guy move again. He is walking towards the cage. Owen notices as well. “Get away from there!”

"HEY! You!" You raise your voice a little as he is not responding. How had that guy gotten into the enclosure in the first place? 

You see him walk towards the fence and you have in inkling what he is about to do.

"Oy! Don't!" 

Instinctively, you rush towards the cage, when you see the idiot go for the button to open the gate. It takes you a few seconds to reach him and you grab his shoulder. You pull him backwards a little roughly. "Are you STUPID?"

Before he can answer, you hear the rattling sound of the gate opening. 

Oh. Shit. 

The raptors heard the commotion, because all of them are standing at the other side of the gate, watching it intently as it goes up.

You want to turn around to press the button again, when Barry's voice calls out. "Don't move."

Blue is staring, her large yellow eyes trained on you while the other girls are eyeing the guest. You try to consider what Owen had told you - was staring back a good idea or not? You suddenly cannot remember - while at the same time replying to Barry's instruction. "I can close the gate."

"They'll jump if you move." Barry's tone is equally as gentle as yours, like you are discussing the weather instead of talking about predators looking at you like you are ice-cream on a very hot day. 

Blue inches a little closer to the now fully opened gate. Your heart starts to pound. 

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

_Owen is going to kill me._

The thought going through your mind over and over is ridiculous, given your predicament. 

But HE is the first thing that comes to mind. His instructions had been very clear. No one was allowed near the raptor cage without him or Barry present. That included you. 

Especially you. 

Owen was constantly worried that something would happen if your job brought you near ANY dinosaur, carnivore or herbivore. It was a habit reminiscent of the incident. You still suffered from panic attacks during thunderstorms, Owen had become overprotective, sometimes unbearably so, when it came to the animals and could not really handle you being near them. Outside any paddock was fine and he had learned to deal with you being within an arm’s length of the friendly, non-predator ones, but otherwise it was a sore subject. It had caused many arguments, as your job demanded close supervision of the animals sometimes, but mostly you respected his wishes and stayed away from dinosaurs. The raptors or any other carnivores were a whole different story. He did not like you anywhere near them if he could not be there as well. He was fine with you visiting him at the paddock, as long as he could keep his eyes on you. 

Standing in front of Blue without a gate separating you from the animal is probably not something Owen will take well. 

"Come on, girl, you know me." 

Your attempt to make your voice sound steady fails miserably and it seems to have the opposite effect on Blue. She moves forward, until she is only two meters away from you. You feel like your heart stops beating. All of a sudden, Owen’s voice makes the raptors look up momentarily. 

“Eyes on me!”

Owen is standing on the catwalk. His voice is determinant, even a little forceful, as he makes the raptors focus on him instead of you as one of the two midday snacks presented to them so unexpectedly. 

“Come on, girls. We’re moving!”

The younger ones follow his directions and you are surprised to see them follow his instructions so instantly despite the temptation. Blue hesitates for a few seconds. She makes a hooting sound directed at you, but follows the youngsters. Once they are at least 10 meters away from the opened gate, you ponder your options. 

“Don’t-”

Barry does not even get to finish his sentence. You move as fast as you can without it being too sudden and press the button. The rattling sound of the gate immediately makes all the raptors focus on you instead of Owen. Blue starts to turn, but it seems she realizes she cannot reach you or the idiotic guest next to you before the gate closes. She growls, but despite the nerve wrecking sound, you let out a sigh of relieve. 

You do not know if she would have actually attacked you, but you count your blessings you did not have to find out. You turn to the guy next to you. His eyes are a bit dazed. You wonder if it is because of alcohol or fear. Your hands itch – not only had he endangered himself and you, he had also risked the girls. The park could not have animals who attacked guests – even if it was the guest’s own fault. 

“What the hell?” You snap, the nerves finally bubbling to the surface. 

“I thought-”

He does not finish his sentence. Instead, he flinches. You turn around and see Owen rushing towards you, a murderous look on his face. 

"Are you INSANE?!" 

It takes you a few seconds to realize Owen is yelling at you, not the guy. "Owen, I-"

"I told you to say away from them."

"You drove me here this morning, remember?" You snap. 

That was probably NOT the right thing to say. It is the nerves talking. You could have bitten back the words instead of snapping at Owen though. So much for being the understanding girlfriend - fiancée, your mind corrects - at the moment. 

Owen scowls. "Yes. But I expect you to stay away from the cage."

His words irritate you, but this time you do manage to hold back an irrational or unkind response about him not having the right to tell you what you are or are not allowed to do. Your voice is as soft as you can manage. "It was a reflex, Owen. I didn't know he already opened the gate."

Mentioning the guest makes Owen attention shift from you to the guy next to you. He looks ghostly pale. For a second, you wonder what Owen will do - besides Hoskins, you had never seen him raise a hand at anyone - but Owen's voice is surprisingly calm. Dangerously so. "I want you to stay here until security gets here. And then I never want to see you anywhere near my animals or my fiancée. Understood?"

You do not know if the guest nodded or if he responded at all. Your eyes linger on Owen. The word "fiancée" came out of his mouth so easily, it makes your heart beat a little faster. 

Owen's eyes find yours again. You smile softly. He may be angry, but the way he called you 'his' makes you oddly happy. Such a softie you are. You can never stay angry with him for long anyway. "I'm sorry." 

You leave out the specifics, whether you are sorry about snapping at him or about trying to stop that guy from opening the gate and as such putting yourself in danger. Owen seems to accept the apology. He opens his arms and you gladly step closer to him. He brushes a kiss on top of your head. Being this close to him, you can feel his heart thundering in his chest. You embrace him a little tighter, hoping it will calm him down. 

"I have to ask..."

Barry's voice makes you look up. He is grinning at you and Owen. "Fiancée?"

You face breaks into a smile. Owen pulls you a little closer and when you look up at him, your smile is reflected on his face. 

Barry bounces over to you and pulls Owen into a quick hug. Then he grabs for you. He pulls you against him and gently kisses your cheeks. “Congratulations!”

The next thing you know, is Liz pulling you into another hug. “I’m so happy for you!”

You and Owen grin at each other. It had been really nice to keep the news between yourselves for a few days. You had called your parents and sister. Owen had called his mother. That had been it. As lovely as it was to live in your own little bubble, sharing the news is equally as fun. 

“We should celebrate tonight!” Liz is smiling brightly. “We should go dancing.”

“Well…” Owen chuckles. He is not the dancing type. 

“Let them dance.” Barry says. “We can have a drink. It is about time you make an honest woman out of her.”

You laugh loudly at the words. Owen grins. His eyes meet yours and you nod. 

A night out sounds fun.


	13. The mother-in-law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen's mother shows up rather unexpectedly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.
> 
> 2\. This is basically part 2 of the last chapter... Please read the note at the end of this chapter to let me know what you think.
> 
> 3: WARNING: this chapter is a bit more explicit! Indirect smut.

You groan when a sound you cannot immediately place wakes you up. Your head is pounding, probably from the beer and tequila. You flush as events from the previous night come back to you. 

Last night had been... wild. 

Celebrating your engagement with Barry and Liz had been a blast. The alcohol had flowed freely. Too freely. It had made you and Owen a bit bold. Normally, you were not one for huge public displays of affection, but yesterday evening had been a completely different story. Especially after Owen and you had found a dark corner in the bar, out of sight from most of the other people enjoying a night out. You had been all over each other, fueled by the intake of alcohol most likely. 

Ever since you told Owen 'yes', he had not been able to keep his hands off you. And you had been a very active recipient. 

Once at home, it had spiraled out of control really fast. Things had actually gotten a little rough. You do not think you had ever been that frantic or Owen had ever been that demanding, not even that first night after the incident or that time you had seen each other for the first time after eight months apart. 

Damn. Owen really had been on fire and he had lit you up as well. Your body is still humming.

That same noise rolls through the apartment again and you realize it is a knock on the door. “Owen.” You shake him lightly to wake him up. You really do not feel ready to face anyone at the moment. Owen groans, but he opens lazily opens one eye. His voice is deep from sleep. “What?”

“There’s someone at the door.”

“You go.” He mumbles, as he buries his face in his pillow again. 

“It’s your bungalow.”

Those words make Owen open his eyes, a soft smile on his lips. “Really? You live here as well.”

“We’re not married yet.” You smirk. “So technically, it IS your bungalow. You get out of bed.”

"Fine." Owen grumbles a little, but he gets up. You are too sleepy to do a little victory dance, but you laugh softly at him. His eyes are fixated at you. Slowly, his lips curve into a seductive smirk. "Nice."

"What?" You question.

Owen motions to your chest, still smirking. 

You look down and do not know whether to be angry or start laughing. You have a large hickey on your collar bone. Amongst other places. Owen had been rather possessive last night. That was probably caused by the incident at the raptor paddock earlier that day, you muse. It seemed fun at the time - and damn, it HAD been fun - but now you wonder how you are going to cover that one up. You shake your head and throw a pillow at Owen. 

"Go open the door." You mutter. 

Owen laughs loudly as he ducks for the incoming pillow. He quickly grabs a pair of jeans, still grinning at you as he steps into them. 

You bite your lip. 

That had been your undoing last night. 

Owen. Wearing jeans. 

JUST his jeans. 

You always thought you were a sucker for men in suits, but it turned out that Owen in jeans got your blood racing in a way no man in a suit had ever been able to accomplish. Not even Owen himself the few times you saw him suited up. 

Owen grins at you. "Down, girl." 

Your cheeks flush, but not necessarily from embarrassment. "Just go". You mutter. Owen is looking at you like he is ready to ravish you and you know you are looking him the same way. Your blood starts to rush. Again. 

When another knock echoes, Owen gives you one last grin before heading out of the bedroom. It is unfair, really: him looking THAT good, even with a hangover. You fall back against the pillows when Owen's voice carries into the bedroom.

"Mom?!" 

Your eyes widen. 

His mother?

You hear some rustling in the small living room of the bungalow. It sounds like someone putting a suitcase on the floor. The next you hear is someone rummaging around in the kitchen area. You hear Owen say something, but you cannot make out the words. The response he gets is audible though. 

"My son called me to tell me he's engaged. Don't you think it's about time I finally meet the woman who got you to settle down?"

 _Shit._

Time to get out of bed. 

You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and groan again. You look tired and a bit hung-over.

And positively ravished. 

Not the way you had planned to look when meeting your future mother-in-law for the first time.

You quickly grab a decent beige dress – one that is unlikely to cover the hickey, but it is too warm to wear a turtle neck – and head into the small ensuit bathroom. You jump in the shower. Within record time, you showered and scrubbed your face to get rid of last night’s make up. Rushing out of the shower, you brush your teeth, comb your hair, try to cover up the hickey with make up as best as you can and throw on the dress. Your favorite heels are somewhere in the living room. You curse inwardly when you realize they are probably lying next to the stockings you had been wearing most of last night and that Owen had finally peeled off you after… 

You shake your head softly, almost literally trying to shake off the images from last night. No time to go there. 

You hope they are not lying somewhere in plain sight. 

Nothing you can do about it now. You step into a pair of black ballerina's and take a deep breath, before heading out of the bedroom. 

"Ah, there she is."

You are a bit shocked when you are being pulled into a strong hug by Owen's mother. Owen smiles at you and shrugs his shoulders. After a few seconds, his mother lets go of you but keeps her hands on your shoulders. "Let me look at you." 

You feel your cheeks redden when she takes you in from head to toe. 

You had talked to her on the phone a few times and the conversation had flowed easily. You had a feeling you would get along, but having her stand in front of you so unexpectedly throws you off guard a bit. 

"Mom, why don't you let go off her now." 

Owen grins and his mother replies with a similar grin. You can see where he gets it from. The elder woman finally drops her hands and smiles at you gently. “It is so nice to finally meet you.”

“I think so too, Mrs. Grady.”

“Oh, please.” Her smile widens. “Call me Ann.”

“Okay.” You return her smile. “Ann.”

“Good.” She says. Then she turns to her son. “Owen, why don’t you take a shower. We’ll be fine.”

Owen chuckles, but he looks at you to make sure you are okay with being alone with his mother. You nod softly. Ann laughs. “Go!” 

Owen walks out of the kitchen and Ann sits down at the table. You busy yourself by starting the coffee machine, when her voice interrupts you. “I hope you don’t mind me showing up unannounced.” 

You turn around to look at her and she smiles gently. “I just couldn’t contain my curiosity anymore.”

You return her smile. Her warmth and genuine enthusiasm is a bit contagious. Owen had told you he looked after his father, but you see so much of him shining through in his mother’s face. She has the same cheeky smile and the laid-back attitude. “It’s okay. Really.”

“Late night, last night?”

You blush a little at the question and Ann chuckles. So that is where Owen gets his teasing streak from. 

“Oh, to be young and in love.” She teases. You laugh, but are happy when the coffee machine starts rattling so you have an excuse to turn around and grab some mugs. 

 

 _XXX_

 

It is official. 

You adore his mother. 

Friends had told you horror stories about mothers-in-law who could not handle not being the most important woman in their sons’ life anymore. Or who would meddle in their lives constantly. Ann Grady was nothing like that. She was extremely welcoming and seemed truly happy for you and Owen. She was very much like her son in the way she addressed people. Ann was a bit softer though; Owen could be quite dominant – which is probably why he was so successful with the raptors – and a bit black-and-white at times, a result from his navy days, whereas his mother was a tad more open-minded. 

It had become obvious to you where Owen got his sense of humor from though. She had the same teasing manner and even the double entendre Owen liked to throw around so much was not strange to her. 

Ann Grady was so different from your own mother. It made you appreciate both women even more. 

In just a few hours, you had definitely developed a soft spot for Owen’s mother. You think the feeling is mutual. Owen seemed really happy about it. The way Owen looked at you and his mother had made you a bit weak in the knees. You knew he was close to his mother, even though you had not met her until today. Ann seemed to fully accept that her son was his own person and they did not need to see each other in person to stay close. Owen had to go into work for a few hours during the day, but you and Ann had walked around the park, generally having a good time. She even bought you your first bridal magazine, which made you grin like an idiot. 

After dinner, Owen had insisted his mother stayed at the bungalow the next few days. You had offered to pull some strings and get her one of the good hotel rooms. Owen had been adamant: his mother never went to a hotel when she came to visit him so now should not be any different. 

She had objected profoundly when you had offered her the bedroom, but you had not wanted to hear ‘no’. When Owen was making some tea for his mother, you had quickly cleaned the bedroom a little and changed the sheets. 

After his mother went to bed, you look at Owen a bit sheepishly. “I guess we’ll take the couch?”

Both of you had not really thought about the small couch and Owen laughs. “Cuddling it is.”

You change into a shirt and a pair of Owen’s boxers. He does the same and lies down on the couch first. You snuggle up to Owen and pull the sheet up to cover your bodies. You are practically lying on top of him. The couch is too short for Owen and he keeps moving around a bit. Not the most comfortable, but you relish in the feeling of him so close anyway. 

Before you can even attempt to fall asleep, Owen’s hands start wandering. 

“Owen!” You scold him, laughing. 

Owen chuckles, but slips his hand under the sheet anyway. It comes to a rest on the small of your back. His other hands tangles with your hair. He pulls your head towards his and he captures his mouth in a drugging kiss. 

You try to reason with him – and yourself. His mother is in the other room. This is ridiculous. You are not teenagers with raging hormones anymore. The last few days however, it seemed like you were exactly that. You cannot help yourself. Your hands do not stay idle and within minutes, both you and Owen are sans shirts. He starts kissing a trail down your body, until his head is resting above your stomach. When he kisses the soft skin, you grip the sheet tightly. 

“Owen, we shouldn’t.”

Even to your own ears, the argument sounds lame. Owen flashes you a grin, before scooting even further down the couch. He hooks his finger around the waistband of the boxers you are wearing and starts sliding them down your legs. 

Owen nips at your inner thigh and you fist your hands in his hair. “Owen!” 

His name comes out somewhere between a moan and a beg. He laughs, his breath on your skin giving you goosebumps. 

“Oh!” The moan falls from your lips a lot louder than you meant to when his mouth travels even further upwards.

“Guess you’re just gonna have to be quiet, babe.”

“Oh, God.” 

 

_XXX_

You are sipping your coffee, trying to wake up properly. The lack of sleep from the last few nights is getting to you. You look up and smile when Ann walks into the small kitchen. She takes a seat next to you. She smiles gently at you. Owen gets her a cup of coffee of her own and kisses her cheeks when he hands it to her. 

The familiarity of the gesture makes you smile a little again. 

"Sweetheart, do you think you can arrange that hotel room after all?" Ann looks at you. 

You raise your eyebrows. "Ehm, sure."

"Why?" Owen's face shows the same question that is written on your face.

"Darling, I love you, but-" His mother grins at him and takes a sip of her coffee. "This, er, apartment is a bit too small for the three of us."

You have a feeling where this is going and silently beg Owen not to ask any further, but he seems oblivious to it all. 

Men.

"You're not in our way." He says.

"Oh, I know," Ann's grin widens even further. It is amazing how much she looks like her son right now. 

"But you weren't nearly as quiet as you thought you were, darlings."

Oh. 

You feel your cheeks burn up with a feverish blush. Even Owen's cheeks flush a little. 

Ann chuckles. "Don't worry about it. But I need my beauty sleep."

“I’m so sorry.” You mumble, your face still beet red. 

Ann pats your hand gently. Her grin is infectious. “I remember when me and Owen’s father just got engaged…”

“Mom!”

“What, honey?” Ann smiles mischievously. “You didn’t REALLY think you were born two months early, did you?”

You burst out laughing at the look on Owen’s face. He mutters under his breath and you grin. 

“I remember when…” Ann starts, still grinning. Her words trail off when Owen interrupts her again. 

“Mom!”

Oh yes. Embarrassment aside, you really DO like his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The previous chapter and this one belong together. I could not stop writing... 
> 
> I have the part in between - the night out and the, er, things that followed after that. I just didn't want to update that without knowing if that's what you lovely readers want to read. It's a bit more explicit, like the original story, and I wasn't sure if I should post it and up the rating of this story. What do you think?


	14. A horrible day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, a day goes from bad to worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jurassic World or any of its characters. Not mine. Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Thanks to great writers and all the other people involved who made such an entertaining movie to watch.

You should have known the blissful state you and Owen had found yourselves in the last week would not last. 

You would have preferred a softer landing after being kicked off cloud nine though, instead of the full-frontal crash that was today.

The whole day had been AWFUL.

Now you are finally home but it does not look like improvement is on the horizon anytime soon. You and Owen had given each other the silent treatment since saying goodbye to his mother and neither of you seem to be willing to make the first move. Owen is intent on ignoring you and you have had enough.

So when you enter the bungalow after Owen, you slam the front door shut for good measure. It makes Owen turn around, his eyes narrowed. "Real mature." 

"Says the man who almost slammed the car door out of its sockets." 

It had been a while since you and Owen fought, but today you made up for it in spades. Owen's mother had even given you a pitiful look when you dropped her off at the docks. It had all started with a ridiculous argument this morning and from there, it had only gotten worse. The lack of sleep, combined with a very hectic week at work and juggling to entertain his mother was taking its toll. Both of you were exhausted. Hence the snapping at each other all day.

Owen does not respond to your comment, but stomps into the bedroom. For a second, you hesitate, but you decide against following him. It would only turn into ANOTHER fight. You go to the small kitchen and put on the old fashioned kettle to make yourself a cup of tea, going over the day again. 

You have no idea who started the first argument, but it had gone from bad to worse after you talked to your mother on the phone early in the morning… 

 

_XXX_

 

“Can’t we just elope?”

Owen laughs out loud at the question leaving your mouth when you put down the phone. It is the first smile you have seen on his face since you got out of bed. Both of you had been a little cranky. The phone call with your mother did not improve your mood. You love your mother, but she had become an absolute organizational nightmare. From the moment you broke the news about your engagement, she had gone into what your father called her ‘military mode’ and started making arrangements immediately. The location, the food, the shop to get your dress, she had it all planned out for you.

You and Owen had not even set a date yet, let alone thought about the specifics. But your mother had it all figured out.

And you had thought Claire had gotten a little carried away in her planning activities for your wedding. 

Owen had burst out laughing when she showed up in the bar you and Owen were meeting her for a drink two days ago, with an itinerary in her hand. 

You had looked a bit puzzled. When Owen had left to get the three of you something to drink, Claire had admitted she had made one for the one doomed date she and Owen had. Even though she had blushed, she had trusted the piece of paper into your hands. You would never admit it to Owen, but secretly you were thankful she had specified exactly what you needed to think about when organizing a wedding. 

It was not something you had done before, after all. 

Choosing a venue had been at the top of Claire’s list. Just as your mother had urged you to pick a date so she could make reservations at the gorgeous boat house only 30 minutes away from your parents’ house. Your mother had been rather put out with you when you determinedly told her you had no idea if that was what you and Owen wanted in the first place. 

“We should start thinking about a date and a location, apparently.” You tell Owen, sighing. 

“We could use the area around the paddock.”

You blink. 

“Yes, I can see the headlines.” You grumble. “Wedding canceled: minister eaten by velociraptors.” 

“It’s a beautiful spot.”

You narrow your eyes, trying to gauge if he is serious.

Owen manages to keep a straight face for a few seconds. Despite not being in the best of moods, you chuckle when he bursts out laughing for the second time in under a minute. “You should have seen the look on your face.” He presses a kiss on your cheeks. 

“Funny.”

“It was.” Owen is still laughing. “Don’t worry about it so much.”

“Don’t worry?” You raise an eyebrow. “We’ll have to at some point.”

“It’s just a wedding.”

“Sorry, what?” You frown. “Just a wedding?”

“I mean we’ll figure it out.”

“Sure.” You shake your head, trying not to be too irritated. 

Owen frowns. “This should be fun, you know.”

“I know.” You sigh again. “But it’s not going to arrange itself.”

“Unfortunately not.” Owen grumbles. 

You narrow your eyes, but you bite your tongue. 

“If I’d known this…”

Your eyebrows shoot up as Owen mutters the words under his breath. What? If he had known, then what? Clearly, you are not the only one who got out on the wrong side of the bed this morning, so you let it slide. Owen, however, is looking at you intently. “Just say it.”

“Say what?”

“The look on your face is telling.” Irritation gives his voice an edge. 

“It’s nothing, Owen.” You look down at the table and rub your temples. It is still early in the morning, but you already feel a headache coming up. 

“Forget it.” He spits out, once again making your eyebrows shoot upwards. You open your mouth to respond, but close it again when Owen glares. It is such a ridiculous argument. You do not even know WHAT it is exactly you are arguing about. 

“I have to go to work.” He still sounds a little irritated. “Don’t forget to pick up my mother.”

Now it is your turn to glare. “I won’t. Since you asked so nicely.”

Owen just glares back, but even in his anger, he drops a kiss on your forehead. “I’ll see you later.”

That is all you get, before he stops out of the kitchen. Seconds later, you hear the front door of the bungalow slam. 

Oh yes, you think sarcastically, pre-wedding bliss is a blast. 

It is going to be a LONG day. 

 

_XXX_

 

Only two hours into your work day, you had realized it was exactly going to be that. A long day. The absurd argument with Owen keeps replaying in your head. It is pretty childish and really does not make any sense. At all. When you arrive at your office, you have a message from Owen telling you he is not sure if he can make it to the company lunch. You had completely forgotten about the lunch the parks’ directors organized for its employees every two months. You wonder if Owen is dodging it because of how you left things at breakfast. Peter had specifically asked you to attend, so there was no way you could get out of it. So around midday, you dutifully follow your colleagues to the restaurant.

Within ten minutes of stepping into the restaurant, you have been congratulated by as many people. The news of your engagement to Owen had traveled fast. You put on a smile when people start gushing about your ring and want to know how Owen popped the question. You start to feel a little self-conscious when most of the women keep telling you ‘how lucky you are’. You know it is probably meant nicely, but it does not feel that way today. You can rationalize it is because of your mood, but it makes you feel like everyone is wondering how you managed to hold onto him. Or even worse, why he is with you in the first place. 

It has been a long time since you felt that insecure about yourself. 

And you hate the feeling. 

You take a glass of water from one of the waiters when two women appear next to you. They nod at you, the blonde one smiling. You smile back, but you have a feeling her smile is not all that genuine. 

“Aren’t you Grady’s girlfriend?” The dark-haired of the two asks. 

The blonde one shakes her head. "Not anymore. Didn’t you hear? They got engaged." It is a little weird she is talking about you like you are not standing next to her. You bite your lip, not knowing if you should respond or not. She then turns to you. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” You force another smile, when she takes you in head to toe. 

"You’re so lucky." There is that sentence again. It does not do anything to improve your mood. Just like her smile did earlier, her tone of voice makes you wonder if she is genuine. You try to smile, even though her words are dripping with envy. The blonde nudges her friend and they move away a little, but not far enough. You can still hear everything they are saying.

“Such a shame he’s off the market.” The brunette giggles. It makes you frown. 

"Yeah, I know." The blonde woman sighs. "Owen and me used to hook up sometimes before she got in the picture."

"You didn't!"

Your frown deepens. You know Owen had not been lived a life of celibacy before you met him. And why should he have? He had been single, obviously handsome and he probably never lacked female attention. Yet in your foul mood, the idea of Owen 'hooking up' with someone else makes your blood boil. Especially when the woman starts talking details. 

"Oh God, there is this thing he would do with..."

The words trail off as the two women walk away, giggling. Unkind thoughts run through your head as you watch them move out of sight. Only seconds later, Owen appears next to you. You had not seen him since he stormed out of the bungalow earlier that morning. Apparently he had made it to lunch, but the look on his face tells you it was not voluntarily. His jaw is still tense. You are not the only one who had a bad morning, it seems. 

"I didn't know you knew Jen?" 

"Barely." You mutter, your voice low. "Definitely not as good as you do, apparently." 

Owen raises an eyebrow, seemingly unfazed, but you can see in his eyes he got your meaning. "So?"

"How many women on this goddamned island have you actually fuc-," 

The words come out before you can stop them. You regret them immediately. Owen's jaw drops at the venom in your voice and you bite back the last syllable of the sentence. 

"Do you really want to know?" Owen's voice sounds lazy, almost detached. 

Now it is your turn to drop your jaw. You know you have seriously pissed him off now, his whole body tenses in silent anger. His tone of voice is another indication. You had heard Owen use that tone twice before. It led to the two biggest arguments you had in the course of your relationship. He has the right to be a little angry with you, you know that. Your comment was uncalled for. You were taking out your frustration at the wrong person. Both you and Owen had not been at your best this morning and it seems like this was the last straw. 

“Because, honey, if you do, I can-”

“Oh shut up.” You snap, realizing he is baiting you now. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you shouldn’t.”

You could have apologized a little more gracefully, but with the mood Owen is in right now, you do not know if it would have mattered if you had. 

Your lips curve into a sarcastic smile when you realize how childish both you and Owen are behaving. 

Bad move. 

Owen takes your smile the wrong way. “Oh yes. So funny.”

“Owen, I-”

“Never mind.” He sighs. “I need to get back anyway.”

“We could at least have lunch together?” You try to appease him, but it is a faint attempt. 

“I’m not really in the mood.”

Oh really. 

You had no idea. 

You roll your eyes, which makes Owen narrow his. “I’m gonna go, before I say something I’ll regret.”

“Owen-”

“I’ll see you later.” 

Just like earlier, Owen presses a kiss against your forehead. The gesture makes you smile. Whatever his mood, he always makes sure to give you a kiss goodbye. It calms your nerves somewhat. Owen wants to turn around, but you place your hands on his shoulders, your hands curling in the fabric of his shirt. You pull him down a little, while tip-toeing at the same time and press your lips against his. For a second, he seems to freeze, but then his hands fall to your hips. It is just a peck, and when you pull away, Owen rests his forehead against yours. 

“Not our best day, hmm?”

You snort softly. “No.”

You kiss him briefly again. Owen smiles, albeit a bit forced. “I really do have to go.”

“I know.” You distance yourself from him a little and gently swat his chest. “Go.”

His next smile is a bit more genuine and you watch him walk out of the restaurant. That was something, at least. Only half a day to go. 

 

_XXX_

 

The day had not gotten any better, but at least it had not gotten worse either. An incident at the petting zoo had kept you busy and you had barely made it in time to pick up Owen’s mother. It is her last day at the island and she wanted to see her son and his girls at least once. Ann had kept the conversation flowing the whole drive to the paddock and you had tried to keep up with her. The headache that you had feared this morning had arrived viciously. 

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

You turn your head to look at Owen’s mother. “Yeah. Just tired.”

You know it is a lame excuse and you also know Ann picked up on it. She does not say anything else, but gets out of the car. Owen smiles gently and kisses her cheek. It could not be more different from the way he greats you when you step out of the car. A small nod is all you get from him and you roll your eyes. So much for thinking you had patched up things at least a little bit after lunch. Unfortunately, he sees you do it and he shakes his head, before he turns to lead his mother to the catwalk. You follow them slowly, when Owen turns around suddenly. “Stay here.”

“Excuse me?” 

“I want you to stay here.” He sounds like he is scolding a four-year old. “I don’t want a repeat of last week.”

Your jaw drops. “So you just expect me to wait by the car?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think so.” 

Owen frowns. His mother is looking back and forth between the two of you, her eyes a little wide. She turns to Barry then. “Why don’t you show me around for a bit, darling.” 

Before Barry can respond, she gently grasps his elbow and pushes him towards the paddock. When you are sure they cannot hear you, you whip your head back to Owen. “You can’t tell me what to do, Owen. This is ridiculous.”

“Oh really?” He is mocking you now. “You need a reminder-”

“That was NOT my fault.” You interrupt him hotly. 

“Either way, you’re staying here.”

“I’m not.” 

“You are.”

You stare at each other, a silent battle between the two of you. He stands tall, his whole demeanor showing he is willing to put up one hell of a fight to stop you from getting any closer to the paddock and you know you are not going to win this one. Not right now at least. 

“Fine.” You snap. You turn swiftly and start to walk back towards the car. 

“Where are you going?”

“Back to work,” Anger gives your voice a lilt. “since I’m obviously not wanted here.”

“You promised you’d take my mother to the hotel so she could get her stuff.”

“I’ll pick her up later.”

It would be a waste of time to drive to the office, work for half an hour and then drive all the way back to the raptor paddock to pick up Ann, but it is about the principle of things now. A small part of you knows that you would have given more easily in if Owen would have asked you just a bit more gently – after all, you know why he is so adamant about you not being near the raptors and it is not really his fault – but his next word proves that is not on the cards right now. 

“Whatever.”

“Jerk.” You hiss, anger now steamrolling through you. 

“Thank you. I love you, too.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm. You do not get the chance to respond. Owen shakes his head and stomps away. Again. 

The hope that you and Owen had gotten over the worst part when saying goodbye to each other earlier had obviously been false. You want to scream as you get back into the car. Why is it so difficult to have a normal conversation with him today? Both of you are acting like idiots and you set each other off constantly. 

Definitely not your finest day. 

You inhale sharply and start the car. The rest of the afternoon goes by in a blur. The tension between you and Owen could be cut with a knife when you and him had brought Ann to the docks and the silence on the way back to the bungalow had made it even worse. Owen stomping into the bedroom as soon as you got home was an indication that the fighting was perhaps not over yet. 

And now you are standing in the kitchen, not really knowing what to do. 

You shake the tea bag after pulling it out of your mug and throw it in the garbage bin. Slowly, you walk into the living room and sink down on the couch. You sit in silence for a few minutes, sipping your tea, when the bedroom door is being pulled open rather roughly and Owen walks into the living room. 

He lets himself fall down on the couch next to you. “What the hell happened today?”

“I have no idea.” You shrug. 

You and Owen stare at each other for a moment. Then he takes the mug from your hands, puts it on the table and pulls you against him. He wraps an arm around you and you rest your head on his chest. 

"Guess we took everything to the extreme this week." Owen mumbles in your hair. “The good AND the bad.”

“Yeah.” You mutter. Owen is caressing your back and for the first time that day, you feel the muscles in your neck relax just a little bit. So you make the first move. “I’m sorry.”

“For what exactly?”

You look up at him, not sure how to respond to that. He is smirking a little and you chuckle. “For biting your head off -”

He raises an eyebrow and his smirk widens. 

“Multiple times.” You finish and you feel his body shake with silent laughter. 

“I haven’t been on my best behavior either.” 

You snort. “That’s an understatement.”

He smiles sheepishly and brushes his lips against yours. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” 

You bury your face in his neck and his lips are pressed against your forehead. “I love you.”

“I know.” You reply. Even with all the fighting, he never made you doubt about that. “I love you too.” You mumble against his skin. You hug him closer to you, nudging his cheek with your nose to make him look at you. 

“I shouldn’t have said that thing about you and that other woman.” You feel your cheeks flush as Owen stares at you intently. 

“Yeah, what was that about?”

“I don’t know.” Your voice is small. “Everyone was looking at me with envy -“ You stop talking for a second to swat Owen on his chest when he starts smirking again, before you continue. “like they were all wondering what the hell you are doing with me.” Your cheeks heat up even further. “And then she started talking about ‘this thing you do’ with god knows what body part.” 

“Wh-what?” Owen bites his lip and you know it is to stop himself from bursting into laughter. 

“I don’t even want to know.” You roll your eyes, but the glint in Owen’s eyes makes it difficult to stop you from smiling a little. “I was already in a bad mood and I guess I got a bit jealous.”

You blush again when Owen’s eyes link with yours. He caresses your cheek and his voice is gentle. “As flattering as that is, I can’t change my past. There’s no point in… what did you call it? Biting my head off about it.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” 

“I know.”

“Good.” You snuggle a little closer to him and Owen’s arm around your waist pulls you against him even further. “Friends again?”

You chuckle. “Yes, please.”

You sit in silence for a while, when Owen starts chuckling. 

“What?”

“As much as I’d like to make it up to properly,” He wiggles his eyebrows for emphasis and you snort. He chuckles and finishes his sentence. “I’m too tired.”

“Oh, thank God.” You laugh a little. “Me too.”

Owen laughs too. “So later?”

“Later.” You mumble as you sag against him. 

“I’ll do that thing with that body part then.”

For a second, you are speechless.

So wrong. 

But you cannot help yourself. You erupt into a fit of giggles. Owen’s arm tightens around you as he starts laughing as well. “Too soon?”

“Borderline.” You are still giggling. 

“At least it got a smile on your face.”

“Don’t push it.” 

He grins and steals another kiss again. “My poor mother had no idea what to say.”

“Perhaps we should have done this in front of MY mother.”

Owen looks at you questioningly. 

“She might think the wedding is off and stop with her insistent planning.”

Owen chuckles again. “Let’s leave that ‘till tomorrow.” 

You squeal in surprise when Owen suddenly stands up and lifts you up in his arms. “Let’s go to bed.”

“It’s still early.”

“I know. But I really want to _sleep_.”

You laugh when Owen plops you onto the bed. “Sure. Sleep.”

“I actually do mean sleep.”

You burst into laughter at the sheepish look on his face and pull him onto the mattress next to you. “Fine.”

He pulls you into his arms, apparently not caring that you are both still fully clothed, and his hand sneaks under the blouse you are wearing, feeling hot on your skin. He is gently chasing patterns on your back and it moves lower and lower, until he is actually cupping your rear. You are just about to comment on him feeling you up, when his hand seizes all movement. You chuckle when a soft snore comes leaves him. 

You rest your head on his chest. After the day you had, sleeping does seem like heaven. 

There would be time for other things later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehm, this turned out way longer than I intended and I have NO idea where it came from. I guess we all know those days where things just start off wrong and then go from bad to worse. Sorry if this was a bit pointless, and I wondered about posting. Hope you all liked it somewhat anyway. 
> 
> I'm working on the next chapter as well, will be posted later tonight or tomorrow.


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